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SUMMARY:
The diarist notes failed banana trees in Dongkar, widespread illness, and persistent bad weather during a series of halts while collecting birds. They visit Denchan Gompa, hunt game birds with local shikaris, and criticize Elliot’s contribution. Bill visits Yigong Tso and learns from the Be Gyimpon of a summer route to Tongkyuk over the TRESUR LA; Ludlow departs for Suowa with companions.

CONTENT:
to collect bush birds. Yesterday I was very surprised indeed to see banana trees growing beside a house above camp, in Dongkar. There were about ten, but the owner said they gave no fruit here. Tseringpon, when he saw them, immediately said they were dead, because the leaves had all withered - a state he had not seen at home. Temperatures up there must drop to 10°F as a minimum. We have had 14°F here. Goitre is very prevalent here, syphilis very bad indeed - "very much worse than Bhutan" Elliot says. The whole place seems to be in decay generally.

20th Jan Halt. Again saw more banana trees, locally called 'tali loma'. Went to Denchan Gompa then into big side valley. Saw some crossbills & heard Crossoptilon.

21st Jan - 24th Jan. Halt. Weather very unpleasant indeed & every day the same. The tops of the hills are covered in clouds all day & night, & a very light snow falls, down to about 9000' or sometimes to 8000', all day long. We get glimpses of sun but never much. We have all tried to get game birds, & between us have seen or got monal, tragopan, blood pheasant & wood partridge. Tseringpon & Laku are the chief shikaris & most bloodthirsty. Elliot is a great disappointment. He won't turn his hand to anything; won't even carry a gun & have a crack at anything. His medical work is poor. He takes no interest in the illnesses of the locals, & just dishes out 2 pills to everyone. Our own people have little use for him. I don't know how he has the face to do as little as he does, after agreeing to come on this trip & turn his hand to anything.

25-26 Jan. Halt. On 25th it started to clear up & on 26 was beautiful, with hardly a cloud in the sky all day. This has been a very pleasant change, as except for the 19th we have had no bright sun, & snow every day all around us. Bill went up to the Yigong Tso to take photos, & had some very fine views. He saw the Be Gyimpon who confirmed that there is a summer road up from the valley behind Be, to Tongkyuk, over the TRESUR LA. The route is not fit for ponies. The name of the village 1 m W of Be is GYAGON.

27-28 Jan. Halt. Good weather finished very suddenly on 28th, the clouds coming up very fast after a clear morning. Ludlow went off to Suowa with Ramzana, Sandup & Tseringpon.

SUMMARY:
Notes describe the lake’s depth and local supplies, followed by entries for 14–18 Feb covering warming weather, fishing results, and moves between Sangyü, Chakzam, and Trulung. A shikari with Laku and Sandup searched for a large bird called 'tse' without success, Bob took the low river road, and a very hot spring was found among riverside boulders.

CONTENT:
53

The lake as it is at present is about 2 1/2 miles long in a straight line. Probably this is extended by another 4 to 5 miles in the summer. Supplies have been fairly easily obtainable here. Wheat flour is available in small quantities always, price about 1 sang per 'tre' (15 tres to a bo). There is no rice, but 'tse tse' (millet) is available in its place. Potatoes good but not plentiful. Turnips any amount. Barley rather scarce, considering the amount which seems to be grown round about. Peas not available. We have been very glad to be able to get as much honey as we want. We have been paying about 10 sangs for 2 lbs or so, and it is very good stuff. Every house has a bee hive or two, which are made from a section of a tree trunk. The lake, measured today, is 33 feet deep where the river goes out at the E. end. Further up, about 300x, it is 40 ft deep. About 500x W from the Eastern end, the depth is 76' in the middle.

14th-15th Feb. Halt. Weather getting warmer. Fish have begun to take - 5 were caught on 14th, but none took on 15th.

16th Feb. Sangyü. This camp is really about 4 miles beyond Sangyü, where a few houses are occupied. Here there are no inhabitants at all. It tried to rain all day, but held off, except for occasional spitting, till the evening. Saw nothing of any interest on the way, there appears to be little advance in anything as yet.

17th Feb. Chakzam. Rained a good deal last night. Fine most of today, but clouded again spitting off & on. Very warm. Nothing seen on the road, but there are signs that some things are moving, though the big Rhodo is not nearly in flower. A shikari with us said he thought he could find a bird he called 'tse' which was bigger than a monal. He, Laku & Sandup went off to look for it but found nothing. It is said to be so big that 7 form a man's load. Ludlow has heard before of this bird.

18th Feb. Trulung. Unsettled day. Took 6 1/2 hours on the march. Bob went by the river on the low road, which we had not been by before. We found, among the boulders beside the river (under water in summer) a hot spring, so hot that one could not touch the water. It was, in fact bubbling out with some force in two

SUMMARY:
At Langstong the party endures cold, poor weather, sends Angur and Akong to scout a northern nala with little to collect, and notes the continued absence of Mohammed the mail runner. Stores are divided for multiple future legs, with a planned rendezvous at Tsela Dzong about 10th Oct. On 20 March, Ludlow and Elliot depart via Tsela Dzong to Gyala with assigned team members.

CONTENT:
to the south of Langstong. Here everything seems in much the same state as it was when we left in January. It is as cold too. Perhaps up the side valleys at 11,000' or so there may be more movement, so I am sending Angur & Akong up tomorrow for two days. Little could be heard about the valley S of Langstong. But Ramzana describes it as easy, with a good path & many cattle in it. A path goes right up the valley, over a pass & down to Trip. It is used by pilgrims who do a small circuit there. There is still no sign of Mohammed, our mail runner, who should have been here 2 or 3 weeks ago. I hope nothing has happened to him.

14-15th March. Halt. Cold & poor weather here now, with practically no sun at all. Angur & Akong went up the nala to the N. of camp. Found P. whitei cf. rhododendrata common close up the nala. They saw little else and no rhododendrons at all. There is certainly very little to collect these days. We spent all our time dividing out all stores — B & I for 6 months, Ludlow & Elliot for a 6 week trip followed by Ludlow 4 1/2 months & Elliot 2 1/2 months. These have all been packed up, as has a 6 week stock for our return journey from Tsela Dzong. We have agreed that we should meet there about 10th Oct. Then get out as quick as possible, probably in two parties. I got rid of a good deal of useless stuff today, including a complete B II boiler set, which we threw into the river — an awful thing to have to do, but there was no useful alternative.

16-17-18th March. Halt. Cloudy & windy, with little sun.

19th March. Ditto & rain each night & spitting almost all day.

20th March. Halt. Heavy rain at night & a very poor day. After a hectic time of division of stores & packing & storing of boxes, Ludlow & Elliot went off this morning for their six weeks trip via Tsela Dzong to Gyala & the top of the gorge. Parties are now decided. B & I have Kancha Tsongpen & Akong. Ludlow will have Samdup, Ramzana & Laku, & Elliot Angur & Balbahadur.