we were on the opposite bank. Near
it, at the entrance to a narrow valley, was the station of
Tchon-Pa-Loung. The Dheba of the place furnished us, by way of supper,
with some excellent fresh fish; and, for sleeping, with a very snug
wind-tight chamber, and thick mattresses stuffed with the hair of the
musk deer.

Next day we travelled along a small river, which subsequently joins the
River of Gold-dust. Our hearts were lighter than usual, for we had been
told that we should arrive the same day in a charming country. As we
went along, we accordingly looked first on one side and then on the
other, with an uneasy curiosity; from time to time we rose on our
stirrups in order to see further; but the landscape was a long time
before it became poetical. On our left we had still the aforesaid river,
prosaically running over great stones, and on our right a large red
mountain, dismal, bare, and cut up in all directions by deep ravines;
masses of white clouds, driven onward by a cutting wind, flitted over the
sides of the mountain, and formed, ahead of us, a sombre horizon of mist.

Towards midday, the caravan halted at some ruins, to drink a cup of tea
and eat a handful of tsamba; we then clambered to the top of the red
mountain, and from the height of this great observatory, admired on our
right the magnificent, the enchanting plain of Bathang. {292} We found
ourselves, all at once transported, as it were by magic, into the
presence of a country which offered to our view all the wonders of the
richest and most varied vegetation. The contrast, above all, was
striking. On one side, a sombre, barren, mountainous region, almost
throughout a desert; on the other, on the contrary, a joyous plain, where
numerous inhabitants occupied themselves in fertile fields, in the
labours of agriculture. The Chinese Itinerary says, "The canton of
Bathang is a beautiful plain, a thousand lis in length, well watered by
streams and springs; the sky there is clear, the climate pleasant, and
everything gladdens the heart and the eyes of man." We quickly descended
the mountain, and continued our journey in a real garden, amid flowering
trees and verdant rice fields. A delicious warmth gradually penetrated
our limbs, and we soon felt our furred dresses oppressive; it was nearly
two years since we had perspired, and it seemed very odd to be warm
without being before a good fire.

Near the town of Bathang, the soldiers of the garrison were d