New-York tribune., 1886-02-21
INTO A STRANGE LAND.
AN ASIAN GOLD COUNTRY.

MARI hHOTbum ny ltS own people anu ilunucs ny Jnt
Hindus. Like other parts of Tibet it is closed tC
European travellers. and its capital, Gartok, stu
ated on a branch of the Singh-ki-khamba or Lion:
Mouth. as they call the upper course of the Indus
has never been seen by an Occidental eye. The
reason for this exclusion of foreigners have never
seen mentioned in any book. but the story told me
over and over again by the natives that Tibet
is the great source OF the Chinese supply of gold
obtained from the sands of various northern tribu-
tarics of the Indus by the use of that primitive
instrument the "cradle." When once the English
learn the wealth OF the country annexation will
soon follow, think the Chinese authorities; and
hence though the guard all the other frontiers
of the Empire has been greatly relaxed, that OYER
Tibet is maintained as strictly as ever. Nothing
less than the wealth of California would suffice to
bring an influx of foreigners into land so remote
and desolate. 1t is suppose, the highest country
o. tire world in all It's vast extent there is not an
acre where the climate IL warm enough TO ripen
wheat and yet it extends down to the latitude Of
New-Orleans In one pacc-Shipkl- where the
river Satiaj enters British territory. the surface
falls to something over 10000 feet above the sea,
but else here there is little land in Iundes under
1900 fect.-which is, If you please, something
like the he ght of Pixies Peak or the Jungfrau.
But although the passes leading into it are
guarded by Chinese officials who stop all white men
trying TO enter the country, as | sec they have
recently stopped the Russian traveller Prelevalsky
who was approaching it from the north.-yet few
parts of Central Asia are better known i'll their
general features than Hundes. Many years ago IT
occurred to Major Montgomerie, of the Indian
Survey, to send out properly instructed natives to
examine the country. This was done and from
time to time the results of their journeys appeared
in the SJournal of the Royal Geographical
l.,
cases Mahometans. bat usually Bhutias,-a half
Hinduizcd race Of Tibetans inhabitng British
territory. They were disguised as pedlers. as
itIerant doctors tea merchants and when they
came back they got pensions and promotions
which were certainly we'll deserved. A great deal
of unnecessary mystery was kept up about these
proceedings Probably Major MontgomerIe
thought that il the mandarins, who arc all OF
course regular subscribers to the Journal aforesaid
should learn that n Mr.. Ram Singh or Mr.. Cbun-
der Chose had been among them taxing notes, they
would make ID warm for those gentlemen ii ever
they entered Tibet again. SO Mr. Ram Singh and
Mr. Chunder Chose and the others remained
anonymous, or rather psoulonymous; in the pub
lished reports they were mentioned only as the
Mrza," "the Manlyi," "Pandt A." "Pandt b."
etc. think it was the Mira who gave wholly
fictitious account of his expedition, making rivers
run backward anu p!aCluS MOUNTAINS lNtlItb
thousand feet high in the middle OF lakes. But by
making the routes of the surveyors intersect here
and there, a check was placed on the fertile Indian
Imagination. From the little able to see Of
fIuudcs, believe their work most inaccurate
nevertheless much was learned aud tho great
plateau is by no means the blank on the map that
it used TO he. My friend the Peshkar Marn was
one of the best of these nntve surveyors. He was
called Pandit A. He accompanied on one OF
his trips by the one European who has travelled in
Tibet since the days of the Abbe Hue. This was
Captain now Major GcneraD StrIchey | have
never seen his published hafratve, if he ever pub
lshcd any. but the Bhutiss tell me that he stained
his fare Aand hands brown, shouldered load of
rock-candy and went rs n common coolie. Euro
peans ia remote parts OF tho East have frequently
disguised themselves as doctors, merchants,
begging fakirs or learned pill grms but CAPTAIN
Strachey outdid Palsraye, Vanbery. Burckhardt
and all the others. and his journey was certainly
"A novel one He penetrated a considerable dis
tance he saw the great Lake Manasarowar. the
source Of the Satlaj and tho best of lakes the
" R5mayana" calls il. he was twenty times on tho
brink OF detection, but he came safely through 1t
all In the daytime no was simply a beast of
burden under the orders Of tho Pelshkar; III the
evening as soon as the tent was closed. he the
sahib once more and the Poshkar his obedent
slave: 80 they alternately played master and
servant. like Archer and Aimwcll in tho " BeauX'
Stratagen' 4 strange life and thoroughly un COM
Portable one. should think both for the Captain
and the Pcishkar.
As far as Khca Syaapantb, the last Hindu
village, the road follows the deep rIvine of the
Kali. hemincl narrowly in BY grassy hill. that hido
the great mountains behind thom. Above this
point the river rms through vast precipitous
GORGE AMI the road leaves it and goes over fright
ful series of ascents and dcscents,-up 10 ten
thousand feet down TO four. up 10 eleven thousand.
lown to five, etc. This is Chaudans. the first
ribctan district. the Chaturdaunshtra OF the
Puranas," n glorious country of forest and
meadow. where snowy mountains twenty thousand
feet high almost ovcrhang semi-tropical valleys in
which tho wild date palm grows and parrots and
non keys are common. After an interminablo zig
,ag Climb reached the mountain crest just above
Sosa tho capital Of the district. Thcn really felt
nyself among the Himnlayas at last.
When those irrevcrcnt savageS, the TurcOmans,
get hold of European they treat him as if he were
. lay figure of peculiar and interesting construc-
ion they finger his clothes. take of his hat and
Examine IT. stroke his hand to how it feels pull
Ill the things ont Of mis- poke and pass them from
land to hand with ohsW and Hahsw of wonder
ndbehavo otherwise in a way to confuse the most
yetcran traveller While | undergoing this
,rteal Thought OF Twcellcdum's remark to Alice y
II you think we're waxworks yon ought TO pay.
Yaxworks weren't made to be looked at without
paying for, nohow" Since | left Turcomania |
rave become quite callous to the curiosity elsewhere
displayed toward strangers, and on the whole ono
3 not much annoyed on this account in India. But
he Bhutias, among whom | now found myself
brought back to my mind the recollection of old
laws by the Atrek and tho Gurgan. Whenever !
In,1A p1aNf
women. children aud dogs, oamo out to see me.
rhe, asked me every conceivable question, begin
,inC with what when, how why, and ending |
With an interrogation point The most covetous |
people under the sun, their curiosity made them
lospitable, they begged me tn sit down awhile and
rink some milk. their broad Mongoliau faces
,nnn,nd with rnn1. their small shnrD eYes