*1
Extract from Dr. Hooker's letter to Miss Henslow
Camp, Sikkim, Himalayah, May 5th 1849.
X X X X X I have now been 3 days from Darjeeling, & am getting on very well- the men behave properly; & the people en route are kind and civil. I have just been accosted by an enormously fat Lama, with a grand present of eggs, &c. The kindness of these simple mountaineers is very grateful; & their civil speeches quite graceful:-- they hope you will not fall ill, are sorry their roads are so poor,-- apologize for not bringing fowls (the priests say this) because they must cannot take life.-- say they will hear of your progress in safety, with pleasure, and hope to see you en route home again, to stay with them. A small joke convulses them with laughter; & the expected "back--sheesh" is always received with many thanks.
I have got a much larger travelling camp than I expected, 42 in all, which are thus arranged.-- There is myself & servant--a head man of the Coolies. & two others (Sidars), who attend on me & carry small things,-- as gun, compass--stand, botanizing box, bag, telescope and all these affairs;- a Bhotea interpreter, who has charge of all the food; a Havildar (or corporal) with 4 Sepas, 3 shooters & bird stuffers of Mr. Hodgson’s. The next are carriers, alias Coolies-- 5 for the guard, 3 for the shooters, 3 for the Sidars, 5 for the men’s food,-- 1 carries the tent; 1 bed; 1 clothes; 3 carry my food & cooking apparatus; & several are laden with paper &c. &c. all seem cheerful & good men; & except the Rajah should raise any difficulty, there is no fear of anything; if he does it will be in the way of stopping or frightening the men; and they are such dreadful cowards that I do believe they would (all but the Sepas, & one or 2 others) run like wildfire, if they were only to hear that the Rajah did not wish me to proceed. of the Rajah’s intentions I am still

doubtful; he sent me a full permission, but no guide or guard, & only this morning a dirty little functionary has been to me to say, that he has no orders to let me pass, & that I must wait 2 days till he hears from the Rajah. As it is no use getting angry, I have answered, that, having the Rajah’s own permission, I shall not stop until the Rajah himself recalls it, that I shall therefore proceed forthwith; & that the Rajah’s considering him too insignificant to inform of his own will, or of my movements, is no affair of mine--: now he changes his tone, saying he is very sorry he did not know of my coming, that he might have mended the roads, for which he wishes me to wait the 2 days! -- so these trumpery functionaries lie, cheat, & obstruct; & nothing but patience & cool contempt puts them down:-- the moment I gather the contents of their long speeches by the preface, I cut them short with an answer which does not Suit Bhothea idioms & fashions.
Since writing the above; the Teheba Lama is come to pay his respects,: he is deputed from the Rajah, as agent to Darjeeling. I knew him on the Teesta, as the minister to the Rajah’s son, & as the only man of the Rajah’s who could speak Hindustani. He like all the Lamas is a good little creature; but hearing of the Rajah’s obstruction I was bound to receive him coolly; however I was very civil, met him at the tent--door, took him in, & asked why that Rajah had not sent me a guide, but left me to be insulted by such people as the little functionary I have told you of.-- he answers that the Rajah had written a request for me to delay coming on account of his son’s death, & that the said letter was taken by the Lassoo Kaji, who, being properly disgraced by Campbell, had not delivered it. Now as the Rajah had not spoken to his son for 16 years, I doubt his sorrow;-- the period of mourning is over anyhow;-- and as I told the Lama, it was all one to me; if Rajah, son and family were to die together,-- that was no reason why I should not travel through his country. He promptly apologized for his Rajah, & wrote an order (of what use the sequel will show,) that I was to pass on unmolested, till I

met a guide from the Rajah. This will take me 3 marches, I expect, when I shall meet with another request, to stop till the said guide appears, when I shall answer that the guide can overtake me; & go on, and this will bring him fast enough. This shews[sic] the nature of Sikkim obstructions, after leave is granted; & all my care is to keep my timid coolies from being alarmed. X X X