New Britain herald., 1930-04-25

like those of most towns. It can hardly be said to have streets. Most of the buildings face on paths or walks which run along the main ridge and out on to its minor spurs, or work their way by scrpentinc routes to other paths that cling to the steep sides of the slopes. Steps, too, serve in place of roads, con- meeting terraces that rise one above roads is a driveway that skirts the lower end of the main ridge and leads below to the suburb Lebong and it's barracks for British soldiers.
 "The villas, bungalows, shops, government buildings, hospitals, churches, schools, barracks and na- tive huts that make up Darjeeling and its suburb form pendant conl- munities. like giant saddle bags thrown over the ridge. Dwellings are scattered down the slopes for a thousand feet, the ground floors of one tier on a level with the roofs of the next tier below. If one must cover space in Darjeeling he rides on pony back or is carried in lit ter by four servants.
 "The center of Darjeelins is Ob- servatory Hill, a knoll on the crest of the ridge. Topping the knoll is Buddhist monument and sur rounding it is small forest of staffs from which prayer flags flutter their applications. From the benches near the monument one may sit, when mist and clouds do not inter- fcre, and take advantage of Oar feelings best view of mighty Kin chinjunga and it's fellows. But often the vigil is fruitless. It is only for relatively brief periods during spring and early winter that one may be sure of long, uninterrupted views of the towering granite and ice walls and snowy slopes to the north.
 'Placc of tho Thundcrbolt'
 "While on the steamy plains of Bengal, few miles away, the mer- cury climbs in summer above 100 defrees Fahrenheit, it seldom tops 75 degrees at Darjeeling; and in winter 35 degrees marks the low point of the temperature range. The unpleasant feature of the weather is furnished by the heavy rains. Ten feet of water fall each year, and some of the storms arc violent. Dar- feelings name means Place of the Thunderbolt.' Four-f1fths of the years precipitation falls between the first of June and the last of Septem- Der.
 "One of the sights of Darjeeling It is held in little square on the relatively level floor of a little hollow between two minor spurs on the west slope of the ridge. Along the outskirts of the square are native shops and Hindu temple. In the open space squat natives from the surrounding hills and mountains with all manner of goods beside them. On Sundays the square is choked with a throng of laborers from the adjacent tea fields. One sees Lepchas, the meek aboriginals of the Sikkim valleys; Bhutias, more energetic immigrants from southern Tibet, who have dominated the Lep- chas; and Nepalese, the most eff cient of the lot. Among these broad faced customers is a sprinklins, of British soldiers, East Indians from the plains, world travellers, and the men, women and children of the families of British officials and for eign diplomats.
 Getting to Darjeeling involves a trip on a little toy-like railway with two-foot gauge that winds from the village of Siliguri on the plains, to the crest of the Darjeeling ridge. The little road scorns racks and pinions and conquers the steep slope by many a snaky fold. It does however, employ a picturesque sub stitute for cogs. A native squats over the forward buffers of the little To- comotive and trickles sand on the rails when the wheels slip.
 "The train first penetrates dense,