Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-12

clOScu or nOk But tbls ~ 30 CoilpltteiJ
matter OF course in India that were
the nuisance suddenly removed We should
probably miss 1t as much as that en-
tbusiastic collector OF new experiences
who complained that he chad been six
months in Bengal aud hadn't been Bit
ten by single snake vet"
During the first few hours of our jour-
noy the surrounding scenery is compare
I lively tame, Notwithstanding the rich
luxuriance OF the tropical vegetation, for
in order to form correct notion OF the
landscape Of Lower Bengal you have
only to multiply bilhard-board by
I 5000, 000, and subtract the cushions.
But matters improve considerably when
we reach the ferry Of Damookdea Chant
on the Ganges, where n steamer hes
( in readiness to carry us from the
Eastern Bengal train on one side
( OF tho river to tho Northern
Bengal train on the other 1T
! is quite dark when we arrive there, and
the various points Of the picture the
broad, smooth expanse OF the great river
starting out of the gloom i'll blaze OF
electric light, the tall trees standing up
phantom-like along the shadowy shore,
! the white hull of the steamboat looming
specifically against the dark water, the
wild faces and gAunt, half-nude figures
OF the coolies appearing aDd.vanishlng
+ like ghosts as they pass from darkness to
( light and from light back again to dark
pess-all combine to form very eiiec-
/ tive tableau.
A hasty dinner on board the steamer,
/ n hurried scramble into the train on the
opposite bank, and then (haying luckily
| got compartment TO ourselves) we
spread our wraps on the two seats which
| il contains, and sleep as soundly as a
night watchman on duty. Day Is Just
/ dawning when we awake again, just III
+ time TO sDa'ch hasty breakfast Of tea
and toast at JalpalgurI, the last station
/ but one. An hour later we reach Slll-
guri. the terminus OF the Northern Ben
/ cal railway, where We are transferred to
I the Himalayan railroad itself, and
/ get on board of the curious little toy
| train which is TO carry'us 1000 feet up
into the air over the slopes OF the highest
mountains in the world.
Nearly an hour passes, however, be-
/ fore our final start is made, the platform
being almost blocked up with military
stores, which are on their way up to the
| hills in preparation for an impending
/ expedition. The fact is (as We learn on
our arrival at Darieeling) that the RaIah
OF Sekkim, semi-independent noun
/ tain principally forming one OF the
/ higher ledPes OF the Himalaya, has just
taken the liberty OF murderingor allow
ing TO be murdered a number Of Euro
pean residents, at the instigation. as 70
generally believed, Of the Ihi0etan
priests beyond the mountains. Lord
lmierin who has gone up 10 Dsrleellng
on purp0se) has summoned the halab to
meet HIM at a place not far from that
town in order to answer for this outrage.
Should the Kaiah fail TO appear or to
make due atonemeut for this offence the
soldiers viii be instantly let loose upon
hun, and hence these preparations.
Already the shadOwy mass OF tho great
mountain range is dImly visible far away
30 the nOrihward, aud almost as soon as
our train starts the fresh breeze that
comes straight from the distant SHOWS IS
felt stirring into sudden buoyancy the
hot. heavy, hieless atmosphere of the
sultrv PLAN. The train Itself is queer
affair running upon the naIrowest gauge
in tie world, except Russia's trans
Caspian railway. and composed of n
number of quaint little toy cars, just big
enough to hold SIX people apiece, winch,
with their open SIDES and canvas screens,
are exact duplicates IN miniature OF the
New York street norse-cars dunnS the
summer season. n resemblance increased
by the fact that for the first ten miles or
so we nun along the high road itself, and
pass carts and foOt-passengers at every
turn.
And now We BEGIN TO mount IN earnest,
and for hours TO come we are ZlgzagElng
mp steep wooded slopes, plugging into
the gloomy shadow OF patLles5 forests,
rafting through cuttings 30 marrow that
we could touch the rocks on either side
by merely. stretching out oar hands,
rushing along the brink of black and
frlghtful chasms whose depth no eye can
measure, dashing past queer little native
villages dhe Inhabitants Of which swarm
ont like bees TO watch Us scurry by, or
swinging around curves 50 sharp that the
passengers in the foremost car can see
those in the liDdmOst across an impaSsa-
Die gulf of several hundred feet, after
the fashion OF that gifted man who rode
into New York at such pace that his
shadow came up five minutes later 70 ask
which way he had gone.
Higher, ever higher, till the air grows
chill and keen, and the Tlcn tropical TO-
Iiage sinks away beneath us 10 make way
for the harder trees Of the mountain,
and the wide winged vultures circle over
head. screaming hOarse defiance at the
smoke-breathing monster of IRON that
dares to invade their chosen domain.
Every now and then we halt at IA quaint
little station" consisting chiefly Of
one tarred wooden shed, 30 small that
when man comes out OF it with
heavy mail bag, We inwardly wonder
how he can ever have gotten in, unless
he has had the shed built over him when
baby, ami has been growing MP inside
ever since like q cucumber under a glass
frame.
Our locomotive seems to be as thirsty
as an African KING, ana mats TO tahe III
water every half hour but. IN spite OF
this and other delays, we 90 a wonderful
pace up hill, considering the steepness
of the gradient, and are not very much
after schedule time when We reach kur-
seong, the only place of any importance
which is passed in this extraordinary
climb up. stairs into the sky. There we
stop TO dine at the Clarendon Hotel,
which. with its neat white veranda,
painted panels, and flower-deckcd
tables, looks as homogeneous amid
these savage solitudes as post
pillar in the middle OF the Allan
tic, and our eyes as well as orr jaws
are abundantly feasted during the /
half hour that we remain there. The |
"town, which is represented by one
long, struggling street of bamboo nuts, is |
still all ablaze with the gay flags holsted |
yesterday in honor OF the Viceroys pas
sage through it, and just on one side Of
the tiny patch Of tolerably level ground
forming the market place appears a
staring arch of bamboo covered with /
crimson hangings. along the top of which /