The Van Buren press., 1893-09-02
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
A WOMAN IN TIBET.
She Penetrates Further Into the Countr
Than Ever White Man Did.


She Penetrates Further Into the Country
Than Ever White Man Did.
Brief reports have been received re-
Gently of the existence of young En-
glish woman, missionary, in the wilds
of inhospitable Tibet. Now there
is at hand story of her adventures
from the North China Daily News
On May Miss Annie Taylor, the ex-
plorer, passed through Chunkong on
her way home having completed year
of wandering.
Miss Taylor is a medium sized wom-
an of Saxon build, with brilliant brown
eyes, the complexion of traveller, and
the air of one who has suffered much.
Her bearing, her bright eyes and ami
mateS expression show her to be a
woman of resource and Imagination,
and in seeing her lively manner, not
withstanding her present weak state
of health, one begins to understand the
influence She was able to exercise over
the savage peoples among whom she
has been travelling alone with her life
in her hand. She is full of enthusiasm
for the civilization and conversion of
the Tbetans, which she hopes to COM
municate to the people of England, and
this, we have no doubt, she will fully
succeed in doing. Miss Taylor is the
daughter of a gentleman of means en-
gagged in business in London.
Her trip rivals in adventure, while in
difficulties overcome it eXcels the trav-
els of even Capt. Bower and Mr.. Rock
hill. With the help of one Christian
Tibetan whom she took with her from
Darjeeling, she penetrated to within
three days of Lhassa, and returned
alive to tell the tale. But for the
treachery of Mohammedan Chinese
woman she engaged in Kansus there
seems little doubt that she would have
arrived in Lhassa itself. Miss Taylor
says that she first attempted to enter
Tibet from the Indian side in 1887
Sikkim was not English then, and or
ders were given that no one should
serve her. So, though she had plenty
of money. she could buy nothing, and
was often very hungry. Then she got
fever and had no appetite. But after
quinine her appetite returned, until
she did not know which was worse, fe-
yer or hunger. Twice attempts were
made to poison her, and for ten months
she never saw another European.
Then she decided to try to get in
from China, and after spending about
4 year on the frontier living very quiet
ly, not going out, but constantly re-
ceiving Tibetans in her house, she re-
ceived various offers of conveys to
Lhassa. Before crossing the frontier,
about which she had no trouble, she
unhappily engaged a Chinaman whose
Tibetan name was Noga. She had two
tents, four servants, and tried to get
ten really good horses by promising to
give them at the journeys end to No
ga. One of her first serious adventures
was being attacked by band of bri-
gands with white fur coats, leading each
q spare horse. Two were killed, eight
wounded, and five out of her horses
killed, besides much property lost. But
Lama called out to the robbers:
"They are all women! All women!" so
she was not pursued. Among Mongols
and Tibetans it is esteemed dreadful
|
women go about unarmed, although
every man carries weapons AS Miss
Taylor says, by the Tibetan religion it
is forbidden to take life, whether a
hea's, sleeps, or a mans.
On September 2S the party crossed
the Yellow river on yak skins blown
out, with hurdles laid upon them
and drawn by horses. These RATS were
awash all the time, and the water was
ice cold. They then found themselves
in the Golok district which is peopled
entirely by robbers. Their chieftain is
woman, and laws are strictly observed
in her domains and no bribes are talk
en-. The Goloks relate how five Rus
slams came to travel through the coun-
try, and they themselves went out to
attack them five hundred strong, but
could kill none, though twelve of them
selves were killed. Then came another
all wanted that tin box, and still con-
tinue to reproach one another that they
did not take it, but their belief was
that on opening it an army of soldiers
would come out, and they thought the
same with regard to Miss Taylor's two
cases of chests of drawers besides
many other fabulous tales about her.
In every way people sought to pre-
vent her from entering the Lhassa dis
| trict by telling her of fighting going
on, but she found that an arrangement
had been made that travellers should
not be interfered with. 1t was here,
however, that Noga, after repeated
acts of insubordination, began to use
violence to her, and at last tried to
draw his sword 1t was the Tibetans
who protected her against her own Chi
nese servant, and, saying there was no
chief there able to protect her, sent her
on under an escort.
Miss Taylor's hardships would re-
quire volume for adequate description.
For three days they lost their road.
They had no tent. That and every
comfort had to be sold, her servant hav-
ing taken everything he could from her
before he left When, on December "a,
they found the road again. they hid
away in the hills for the whole of
Christmas day. During all this part of
| the Journey her sufferings from the
rarity of the air were very great; pal
pitations, gaspings, and inability to di-
gest their barley food. Noga spread a
report that Miss Taylor was travelling
with belt of gold and jewels around