s impracticable. When, however, our guide from Lokar understood
our intention of reaching Lumpu Balong, he objected to proceed, on
the plea that the village in advance was inhabited by people from
Turatte. We managed to coax him on, and, after two and a half hours'
walk, reached Parontalas. The country, ascending gradually, becomes
more and more wild; the wood stunted; and the streams, finding their
way through masses of rock, leave strong traces of their occasional
violence. Parontalas stands on the edge of the forest which skirts
Lumpu Balong, from which it has not long been retrieved. It consists
of a few scattered huts, far apart. Potatoes, tobacco, and coffee
are grown here, the former in great abundance. Like the rest of the
people, their food consists of Indian corn; and, as in the other
villages, they breed horses. Our host of Parontalas was very polite,
and gave us some fowls and the accommodation of his house; the latter,
indeed, was needful, for we were all badly provided with covering,
and the mountain air was raw and cold. To our request for guides to
ascend the mountain he replied, that it was necessary to consult the
head man of the district, who lived some little distance off. In the
interim we made ourselves very happy, determined to ascend with or
without a guide or guides. We lay down at nine, in order to be ready
for the morning's work, the thermometer standing at 59 deg. in the house.

"_22d._--At five, when we rose, the thermometer stood at 56 deg. in the
air. The head man had arrived, and willingly gave us guides, warning
us only of the difficulty of the ascent. Nothing could exceed the
kindness and attention of this simple old man. He remembered the time
the English had the country, and spoke of his people's respect for our
nation, and their regret that we had left the country. At 6 A.M. we
started, and, after walking about a mile, plunged into the belt of
forest which environs Lumpu Balong. From six till half-past two,
we were alternately ascending and descending, scrambling over rocks
or fallen timber, or cutting a path through the most tangled thicket
that ever tore the wayfarer. To add to our difficulty, during the
latter half of the ascent, we could procure no water, which caused us
considerable suffering. At length, however, we stood at the summit of
Lumpu Balong, and looked, on either side, over a vast sea of fleecy
clouds which rolled beneath. The top is a narrow ridge, covered with
stunt