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SUMMARY:
Heavy traffic on the route is attributed to HH’s fair in Bumthang beginning on the 7th, alongside plans for reforms such as cash payment for work. At Sumitang, the party had fine weather but a delayed start (likely due to Ngudup); the writer prefers Changchuk managing transport, and with most seed still unripe, Pasang will return in a month to collect target species from beyond Sharitang and around Bumthang/Kyikyi La, after noting a jelly-coated aquatic plant and cooler conditions than Bumthang.

CONTENT:
Lot of coming and going on this route, perhaps especially just now as HH holds a fair in Bumthang on the 7th for seven days. People come from quite a long way away for it. He told me he expected 1,000 people at the fair, from every part of Bhutan and also some from Tibet. This is one of the innovations of late years. But it is nothing to what HH plans for the near future, like payment in cash for work done - "after seeing that the work is good" he added. It is a pity that this must be introduced, but I suppose it must. Inevitably it will lead to trouble; when that will be depends on the time money takes to govern everything, as it does elsewhere.

6th September. Sumitang. Fine most of the day, and fine most of last night too. Some difficulty in getting off this morning, due probably to Ngudup's dislike of leaving early. I must say Changchuk is a much pleasanter man to have running one's transport arrangements. We got a little seed, but nearly everything is just not quite ripe yet. Pasang will have to return here in a month's time, and make a hurried collection of the better things. For most of these we would have to come very far beyond Sharitang. We want seed of the following: "Lachasung", Deutzia, Philadelphus, "Kushim sung", "Rugosung", and from further up, the big white Clematis, but this can be had from Bumthang or the Kyikyi La. I took a queer plant out of a small 5' deep lake today. It is nothing to look at, but it is covered, 1/8" all over with a perfectly clear transparent jelly, which has made pressing rather difficult. The jelly at first is not sticky, but later on seems to become more and more so. It is much cooler up here than in Bumthang, and more like May when I came up first.

SUMMARY:
Diary notes from Pangotang describe ongoing rains, plans to visit Marlung before turning back, and requests regarding taking Yundru and Ngudup to Kalimpong, with preference for Yundru. The writer develops Hicks’ photos, comments on Thompson’s image of P. eburnea, sends Dorji with airmail to Hicks and HH, and packs a ‘tsang’ of rooted plants for shipment to London, hoping to add more from Marlung and Ritang.

CONTENT:
147

Air mail plants
more specimens and also some roots. I have now so many roots to send home by air, that I wonder how many loads there will be, also how much it will all cost!

24th Sept. Pangotang. Fine morning, and a bit of rain after midday. There really is precious little sign of the end of the rains, although I keep on hoping there is. We are, in a way, on our way back home now. But still there is one place, Marlung, to visit, before we can say we have turned round and started back. But everyone obviously feels that things are winding up. I had a request today from Pasang, from Ngudup and Yundru that I should take both to Kalimpong. I don't mind taking Yundru, who is a good and cheery lad and a good worker, but I hope I won't have to take Ngudup one day beyond Bumthang. I do not like him, and except to arrange transport, he is useless. I am writing to HH tomorrow to ask for Changchuk, and to give him our final dates. Today I developed Hicks' photos. If only he had taken my advice at first, all his photos would have been like these which are good. But he would not, and considered he knew better. Thompson's photo of P. eburnea is quite good, much better than Hicks' first efforts. It is a real disappointment to me that in 6 months he has only taken 48 photos altogether, in spite of having lots of film packs available. There were so many photos he could have taken.

25th September. Sent off Dorji and with airmail to Hicks, HH and Kalimpong and paid him Rs 24/-. We then packed up a 'tsang' with rooted plants, each rooted plant in its own little basket inside the big one. The whole thing now is ready to go to London, except that I hope there will be a few more plants added from Marlung, and then more again at Ritang.
roots