, 1890-04-09
LIFE IN FAR AWAY TIBET.
rhl.s. in That Strange Land a. Repre-

rhisr. in That Strange Land as Repre-
scented by the Latest Explorer.
1.-THE people Of Tibet have the funniest
way of making tea you ever heard of
said Lieut.. Rockhill, that far away coun-
try's most recent explorer. TO begin
with, the tea they use comes from west
ern China in the shape of bricks, which
are pressed into such convenient shape
for carrying overland. All sorts Of teas
are made into bricks for purposes of
transportation across Asia, it being very
well understood by connoisseurs in the
herb that a sea trip spoils it. But the
tea imported into Tibet is Of very poor
quality as a rule. There is in it as much
weight of twigs as of leaves.
Having pounded a portion of the
brick tea in some sort of mortar, the
Tibetan housewife puts it in a large cop
per vessel and there permits it to boil
over a fire made from dry manure The
resulting solution she pours into a queer
looking wooden churn through a coarse
willow basket that serves as a strainer.
To the liquid in the churn, before pro-
ceeding further, she adds a portion of
butter and some salt. The mixture is
then churned up in ordinary fashion,
and, when it is thoroughly mixed, is
poured into a teapot of bronze. From
the teapot it is dispensed into the little
cup shaped vessels which each Tibetan
carries with him or her.
"The cup shaped vessel / refer to is
usually of wood, sometimes lined with
silver. Tibetans employ it not only as
their sole drinking u~tensil. but also as a
dish for solid food. What they consume
mainly as a substantial diet is parched
barley. When a gentleman Of Tibet feels
hungry he sits down and, taking from a
leather pouch a portion of barley, he
mixes a little water with it, and. stirring
it up into a dough. eats it in that shape.
Thus hunger is satisfied, and he goes on
his way rejoicing. In what we call the
pleasures of the table the Tibetan takes
no stock whatever. There never was a
typical Asiatic yet who cared anything
about amusement in the ordinary sense
of the word. He doesn't go to the theatre
there is no such institution in the land
of the lamas. MOI does he indulge in any
other rational enjoyment Of civilization,
though he does not scorn what might lie
called the primary vices.
Tibet is a very cold country, but Its
inhabitants do not warm themselves by
the consumption Of fuel. When the
weather is chilly they simply put on more
clothes in proportion as the mercury
might fall, if there was a thermometer to
register the temperature by. Their gar
ments consist mainly for each individual
of a voluminous cloak. with sleeves and
a high collar, under which a shirt is
sometimes worn. Boots, with soles of
raw hide and uppers of cloth and cotton,
are made for them in China. For rainy
days n circular cape OF felt is provided.
The gun used by n Tibetan has a long
fork attached TO it, which is stuck in the
ground for use as a rest for the weapon.
Naturally the deadly instrument is of
primitive pattern, intended to be set off
with a printing, and the native wears at
tached to his belt a number OF little
brass cones, each of them containing an
exact load of gunpowder. Those people
OF the country who live on the great ele-
waited plains or steppes dwell in black
tents; but the villagers reside usually in
two story stone houses, the lower story
being given up to a stable for the cattle.
Not all of Tibet, ms is popularity supposed,
is actually subject to China. The coun-
try is divided up, politically speaking,
into many tribes, and not a few of these
tribes are governed by chiefs who owe
10 allegiance to anybody-not even to
the Chinese emperor" Washington
Star.