for the indulgence, I had to pay as forfeit several
strings of beads and shells, a few looking-glasses, and some needles,
which I presented to those of the fairer sex only.

The houses are generally built on the slopes of the hills; the lower
story is of stone, from 12 to 15 feet high, but is not used for cattle
even, which are kept apart in stone byres. Timber is stored in these
lower stories, as also the ordure of cattle, which is used as fuel,
especially for smoking their cheeses. This cheese is made daily, and is
of the nature of cream cheese, and when fresh is not bad. On the roof of
this lower story, leaving a space all round to walk, rises the actual
habitation, which is of wood entirely, and contains only one or two
rooms; these are neat enough, but very dark. The door and door-frames are
roughly carved with figures and scrolls. There is little furniture, but
all use low wooden chairs or wicker stools to sit upon. The food, either
bread, which is ordinarily of very thick cakes, but when guests are
entertained of very thin broad cakes, like Indian chapatties, or meat
boiled in a large iron cauldron, is served in large deep circular wooden
vessels, hollowed from a trunk or thick branch of a tree, without any
table, though tables were seen occasionally on which drinking vessels
were set. The bread cakes were served to guests, with slices of cheese
between two such cakes, imbedded in hot butter. Their beds are very rude
fixtures, consisting of poles, one end of which rests in the walls and
the other on two legs: it is remarkable that they call them _kat_. The
object of the lower story seems chiefly to raise the house above the snow
in winter; it is ascended by a ladder outside, which can be drawn up.
Sometimes there is a third story, which is, of course, like the second,
of timber, but is also surrounded by a platform. The roof of flat stones,
laid on beams and covered with mud.

The temples are square chambers of timber, with doorways carved and
coloured; inside there are set several stones, apparently boulders from
the river bed, but no images were seen, except those connected with
funeral rites, which were temporarily set up in the temples. The use
of these temples seemed to be chiefly in connection with funeral rites.
The coffins were carried there and sacrifice performed before the bodies
were carried off to the place of eventual deposit.

The men shave the whole of the head, except a circular patch on the
c