The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-04-17
An Old EIimaIayan Town.

through the mountains have served as a high
way between the bleak steppes of Tibet and
the sunny slopes OF the lower ranges of the
Hmalayas. The wild herdsmen of the dimly
known land beyond the SHOWS cross to-day as
they did before William the Conqueror landed in
England, over the Niti Pass and the wild currents
OF the Sutlej, through the pretty villages of
Nagkunda and Muthana, through the pine forest
OF Fagu, and over the Mashobra Hills, to ex-
change their butter and bear. skins for grain acd
knives. On mountain warmly wrapped in pine
and rhodOdendron, and honey-combed with deep
valleys, stands quaint, little red wooden town.
wandering up hillside, and running for some
distance along its crest. 1t stands about fifty
miles deep in the mountains from the nearest
plain aud to reach it you have to climb many
bill and cross many brawling torrent. 1t must
have been the obscurest little city in the world,
only known to the eagles and swallows that dance
forever over the valleys One would suppose
that traveller might have looked for it in vain
among the thousand hills of the Himalayas till
/ his hair turned gray ; and so indeed many one
might but a different fate awaited it. An Eng
! shman 10 search of a sanitarium found it, after
it had hidden itself successfully for-one does
not like to say how many hundred years ; aye,
found it, and within few years forced it to take
a very prominent place among the pleasant places
of the earth. The little town is now one of the
capitals of the greatest Empire in the world
Subject princes, mighty western mobiles, and trav
elers from every country, are seen in its narrow
bazaars. Long lines of cames, and caravans of
ox-carts are increasingly, for six months of every
year, pouring into it the luxures of Hindustan,
and the magnificent comforts of Europe. A
thousand beautiful villas look down upon it from
the surrounding hills; and on the splendid roads
that lead from it in every direction may be seen,
of a summer evening, wonderful show Of fashion
and beauty, the creme de la creme Of England in
Asia. Amid all her greatness, however, Simla
never forgets her origin, but STILL as Of old bar
ters with the simple shepherds of Thibet, supply
ing all the simple luxuries they seek, and absorb
ing the primitive wares brought in exchange.
Wild and unkempt-looking fellows are these Thi-
beans, with their long hair falling over their
shoulders, and thin sheepskins and woolen
jackets hanging down a of rags and dirt
Their hairless faces, small squat noses, and up
turned eyes, plainly denote their race and con
trast strangely with the delicate Aryan features
of the Punjaub hmen. Always smoking long
wooden pipes-like those of the lower classes in
Germany smiling and pleased at everything,
ever ready for any amount of conversation or
food, they are great favorites with the mountain
eers of the lower ranges and indeed, they have
many very amiable and iovabe qualities. They
are eminently truthful, honest and chaste, easily
amused, easily satisfied, very socabIe and of great
physical endurance. The women are not charac-
Dierized by such strongly marked Tartar features
as the men, and many of them are exceedingly
pretty, though sadly dirty always.
A considerable number of these people remain
in Simla during the whole summer, finding en-
ployment wood-cutters and coolies. Strings of
them are always to be seen carrying in enormous
beams from the Fagu forest. They fasten them
behind by ropes suspended over their shoulders,
and go staggering along almost bowed to the
ground with the weight You sometimes see a /
slight young girl carrying one of these huge logs /
the best part of a young pinetree, perhaps
and, though bent double with the ponderous
burden, looking quite cOntented and happy, aud .
carrying in her hand a wooden pipe, to which she /
occasionally applies for comfort and soace Or |
a whole family-papa and mamma, big brothers,
little brothers and sisters-are all seen struggling
along in single file, with loads proportioned to
their respective Sizes all smoking, talking ard
looking merry enough. Those great pieces of
timber not only stretch across the whole breadth
of the road, but frequently stretch out far over
the side, and sometimes, indeed, are of such
length that the unhappy cooIie has to sidle along
with them the whole way from Fagu to SimIa-
about eight or ten miles. When riding quickly
along this winding road, one sometimes comes
very awkwardy upon these great timber barriers,
stretching one behind the other across the path
and not unfrequently accidents have happened
by this means but generally the ThOetans man
age, by a twist of the body to bring their beams
in line with the road with astonishing celerity
But enough of the wood.carriers. The reader
must come and take look at the principal bazaar
or street of the little town
long, narrow, winding road, between wooden
houses, stained dull red and two stories in height
runs up slight incline on a sharp hill-crest di-
vidng two valleys. The lower story of every
house has neither doors nor windows in front, but
is little cave, merely serving at once as ware
house and workshop. Passing through this busy
little street, you see every trade and occupation
being carried on There is a shop full of tailors,
with high turbans on, busil1 at work one Of
them is reading in a singsoug voice to the others
some ancient tale of Mussulman prowess, or of
the miraculous deeds of the Prophet. In the
little adjoining cell, or shop, as we may call it by
courtesy, is an old gray-bearded man, brooding
over little earthen stove and blowing into flame
few Jumps OF charcoal through a little brass tube,
with all his might Opposite to him is sitting
another old fellow, who is picking and catching
at something in the fire with pair of tiny tongs-
One or two large gold nose-rings are lying near
On a little tray, beside silver bangle or two,
indicating the mandatory and depot Of. gold
smith. After every few minutes Of exertiOn the
Two old gentlemen cease from their labors to
take Whit from the tall hookahs standing near,