Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-23
IN THE H|MALAYAS
Delight Of Living 5000 Feet
Above the Sea.
MIST AND MOONLIGHT
LITTLE SIGHTSEEING, BUT EACH
DAY IS A DELIGHT.
Watching the Clouds About the Top
Of Kinchinjunga - Jolly
Brown FolkR
MIST AND MOONLIGHT
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
The longer one stays at Darjeeling, 1900
feet up In the Htmalayas, the more fasci-
mated one becomes with the mountains,
which are the highest in the world, and
which are beautiful when the weather is
clear. more beautiful when only their state
ly white heads tower up out of the mist
which clothes their lower parts, and most
beautiful when the moonlight adds mystery
and distance to them. There Is no other
place in the world like enchanting little
Darjeeling, with its orchids, tree ferns.
snow mountains and laughing, sunny-na-
tured natives. From the time when one
gets up In the morning and runs out on the
very narrow plateau on which the hotel
stands, to see If Kinchinjunga, 2S156 feet
up, is out Of the clouds, and then stops to
look at the circle of jolly Thibetans and
men and women of Bhutan, who have
found a sunny spot on the ledge and are
busily gambling away their last anna be-
fore they are called to their dandys or
rickshaws, until, after a day faScinati ting
beyond words one comes in as the dark
ness falls, with the bells of the temple in
the bazaar dinging out on the still air, and
the temple horns blowing and startling up
the jackals to their fiendish bowling, one
feels a sense of absolute satisfaction. We
go to bed with the sound of the distant
jackals In our ears, and can easily realize
that we are thousands of miles away from
home, and are quite willing to realize 1t.
There is very little sight seeing to be done
here, for which we are thankful, and each
day is a delight.
We start out after our $50 breakfast and,
followed by our bearer in his new blue coat,
we trudge down the nice little road, for it
is always down when 1t is not up, and
scorning dandy or rickshaw, climb "Ob
servatory HILL" such an inappropriate name
for It, and find on top of 1t small pagoda-
shaped monument with several worshipers
singing and talking cheerfully in front of
1t. for 1t is little temple. The clumps of
bamboo near by are literally covered with
rags, silk, cotton and sometimes paper, on
which are printed prayers, and as they
wave in the breeze they (the prayers) are
supposed to be waited to the gods or else
the demons, for every river, mountain and
tree is possessed by two demons, and no
work can be done or journey made until
either the evil spirit has been sacrificed to
or the protection of the gods implored.
Kinchinjunga is the home of the great god
and is worshiped as such, and we are told
that the SHOWS are also an object of wor-
ship. At the back of every native house
prayers float in the breeze, either from the
bamboo or from poles stuck in the ground.
Besides the little temples In Observatory
Hill there is an altar with dishes of red
paint upon 1t to represent blood, and sticks
of incense burning around it. 1t, too, is
SuTTOuHucu ny ptdySIS HQtlSilHS VI
fling in the gentle breeze.
A New Experience.
It seems to us very delightful to be liv-
ing among a people who really worship
demons, although should think life would
be quite unbearabIe If one felt that at every
turn an evil spirit was lying in wait to do
him mischief AS we scrambled down the
hillside to the sacred cave, a priest was
Just entering with incense, so we had to
wait until his duties, which seemed simple,
were ended, and then found only large
splotches Of crimson paint on the rocks and
sticks of incense burning near by. The
story is that the cave leads under the enor-
mously high mountains and into Thibet
the forbidden land, but as it is blocked up
now, so we fear it may always have been.
One can walk or crawl several miles into
1t, but as we did not pine for that grue-
some pleasure we came gladly into the
warm sunshine again. I wonder If it ever
really did go into Thibet. 1t is fasci-
mating idea There is a monastery not far
from here which is said to contain some
very ancient manuscripts. curious ones, as
they have on them only the names of God
and sentences Of praise to God, and, strange