A Tour in Sikhim, being a journal of five Calcutta tramps on their tour in Sikhim, Easter 1912

Book Description

Calcutta: [printed by the Art Press] for private circulation only, 1912. Quarto. (10 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches). Collation: pp.[i-v] [1-]44 [1-2]. Title and dedication printed in red and black 72 photographs (8 1/8 x 6 1/8 and smaller) tipped onto 24 sheets of dark green sugar paper, each image with a mounted slip beneath bearing a printed caption. (10 of the photographs with small sections detached). Original olive morocco, covers bordered with double fillet in blind, the upper cover with small rectangular section, outlined with double gilt fillets, containing lettering in gilt "A Tour / in Sikhim," spine in six compartments with raised bands, the bands flanked by blind fillets, marbled endpapers. A very rare privately- published account of a April 1912 ten-day walking tour in the northern Indian state of Sikkim, bordering Tibet and Nepal The five British participants of this tour are described collectively in the work as the "Tramps," and were accompanied by "Sprite" a lively fox terrier. Although they all appear in a number of the photographs which illustrate the book, they are identified in the text only by their nicknames: three Scots (the Manager, the Fiend and the Scribe) and two Englishmen (Padre and Geologist or Geo). The only other clues to the identity of the travellers is offered in the preface (written by the Scribe) which is initialed W.M. -- he was evidently the author of the text, whilst the Fiend was the photographer. The work is dedicated to G.A.E. and J.B. The text is a narrative of the trip with occasional diversions: quotes from previous travelers in the area, comments on the people and places, occasional notes about the religion and culture of the local people, but all told from the point of view of the ruling British Raj elite. The text is tied quite closely to the photographs -- the best of which are very fine views of the stunning mountain landscape through which the party traveled. Every photograph is clearly captioned. The route was decided by the availability of the various "bungalows" which the party stayed in each night. The text and photographs begin with the journey from Calcutta on the Eastern Bengal State Railway, then on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to Ghoom (alt. 7,407 feet). In the second chapter the Tramps are introduced, followed by the rest of the Caravan: "It may seem incredible, but it is nevertheless fact, that twenty-three coolies, a cook, a bearer, a sweeper, a sardar and two syces were necessary for the comfort of the five sahibs." The journey proper begins on 6th April with a trek from Ghoom to Jore Pokri; on the 7th the five companions marched (and occasionally rode), from Jore Pokri to Tonglu Dak (alt. 10,070 feet). The next days march was to Sandakphu (alt. 11,975 feet) and the Manager contracted a severe fever. On the 9th the Manager's fever had abated enough to allow the party to continue to Phalut, but without Sprite who had disappeared. From Phalut (alt. 11,811 feet) the party set off for Dentam via the summit of Singla La (alt. 12,126 feet), then the Kalhait Valley and Dentam Dak. The next day the party visited the monastery of Sanga-Chelling, were shown around the by Oomchi Lama, and where the Scribe was able to secure examples of printing. They continued to Pemiontchi Dak. The next day they were shown around the Pemiontchi monastery, "the most important in Sikhim," by the head Bara Lama and a detailed description is given. They also encountered a resident dwarf, whose photograph was taken. This chapter concludes with a lengthy description of the daily routine of the monks (taken from Waddell, an earlier authority). The following chapter is dedicated to Lamaism in Sikhim, and again quotes extensively from Waddell. The next day the party trekked from Pemiontchi to Rinchinpong, via Jey-sing -- a descent of 4,000 feet, followed by an ascent of 3,000. The penultimate day they traveled from Rinchinpong to Chakung, and then on the final day the route from Chakung to Darjeeling was taken, descending 4,000 feet and crossing the boundary at Great Rungeet river back into the British Raj and on to Darjeeling. The account ends with a single page including a diagram and table of distances, heights, etc. which records that the trek covered a total of 123 miles in ten days, with a descent of over 8,000 feet being the biggest change in altitude experienced in a single day. Not mentioned in any of the standard bibliographies.

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