The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-17
TRAVELINGINTHIBET
AN ENGLISH WOMAN'S REMARKABLE
JOURNEY IN THE COLD.
She Penetrated Farther Into tho Mysteri-
GUS Country Than Ever White Man Did.
barriers Almost Insurmountable Over
come by Her Daring.

soaso " AA~s s'a'a"S'
Brief reports have been received Of the
experience of young English woman,
missionary, In the wids OF inhospitable
Thibet. 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 Shun-King on her
way home, having completed year of
wandering.
Miss Taylor is medium sized woman of
Saxon build. with brilliant brown eyes, the
complexion of a Traveller, and the air OF one
who has suffered much. Her bearing, her
bright eyes and animated expression show
her TO be woman of resource and imagina-
tion, and in seeing her lively manner 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 en-
thusiasm for the civilization and conversion
Of the Thibetans. 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
gentleman of means engaged In business in
London.
Her trip rivals in adventure, while in
of even Captain Bower and Mr.. Rockhill.
With the help of one Christian Thibetan
whom she took with her from Darjeeling,
she penetrated to within three days of
Lassa and returned alive to tell the tale.
But for the treachery of a Mohammedan
Chinese whom she engaged in kan-Soo
there seems little doubt that she would have
arrived in Lassa itself. Miss Taylor says
that she first attempted to enter Thibetfrom
the Indian side in 1857. Skkim was not
English then, and orders were given that
no one should serve her. So, though she
had plenty Of money, she could buy moth
Ing, 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, fever or hun
ger. Twice attempts were made TO poison
her, and for 10 months she never saw an-
other European.
Then she decided TO try to get in from
China, and after spending about year on
the frontier living very quietly, not going
out, but constantly receiving Thibetans in
her house, she received various offers of
conveys to Lassa. Before crossing the
frontier, about which she had no trouble,
she unhappily engaged Chinaman whose
Thibetan name was Noga. She had two
tents. four servants and tried to get 10
really good horses by promising TO give
them at the Journeys end TO Noga. One Of
her first serious adventures was being at
tackled by a band Of brigands with white
fur coats, leading each spare horse. Two
were killed, eight wounded and five out of
her horses killed, besides much property
lost. But lama called out to the rob-
bers: They are women All womenp' SO
| she was not pursued. Among Mongols and
Thibetans it is esteemed dreadful thing to
| strike woman. so that all women go
about unarmed. although every man carries
weapons. AS Miss Taylor says, by the
Thibetan religion it is forbidden to take life,
whether flea's, sleeps or a mans.
On Sept. 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 wa
| ter was ice cold. They then found them
| selves in the Golok district, which is peo-
| pied entirely by robbers. Their chieftain
| is woman, and laws are strictly observed
in her domains, and no bribes are taken
| The Goloks relate how five Russians came
10 travel through the country, and they
themselves went out to attack them 500
strong, but could kill none, though l2 Of
| themselves were Killed.
Miss Taylor's hardships would require a
| 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 having taken everything
he could from her before he left. When OH
Dec "a they found the road again, they hid
away in the hills for the whole Of Christ
mas day. During all this part of the jour-
were very great-palpitations gaspings and
inability To digest their barley food. Noga
| spread report that Miss Taylor was travel
ing with belt Of gold and jewels around
her waist. She had to travel by night. find
ing the cold almost unbearable. Tea froze
| as soon as poured out, and for three nights
\ :hey were only too thankful to find refuge
| In cave with barely room enough for them
| TO lie down, half suirocated by smoke, SO as
| TO obtain a little warmth.
On Dec. 81 they crossed the Drichu into
| the Lassa district, but had to stop near
| Najuca, within three days journey of
Lassa, owing to Noga having gone before,
revealing that 1t was a foreigner coming.
| A military chief arrived, and there was a
| sort of trial.
In the end Miss Taylor convinced the Off
| Gals Of the truth of her story. saving the
| lives of her two Thibetan servants, who
| were accused of trcacherously leading her
into Tibet. The chiefs told her that as far
rs they were concerned she could go on to
Lassa, but they would lose their lives il
she did, and they gave her an official and
nine soldiers to protect her against the
| Chinese servant, besides supplying her
most pressing necessities Everywhere she
found the Thibetans express liking for the
English. They had been especially struck
by the fact that the prisoners in the SikkIm
war were kept alive, well fed, and actually
supplied with money TO go home with.
On the return journey the horses, which
In winter have to be fed with goats flesh,
tea, butter and cheese, suffered so from
hunger that they were always tumbling
down until Miss Taylor joined a yak cara
van, and 200 yaks made n way for them
through 20 feet Of snow. On Jan. % Miss
| Taylor left the I.hassa district Of Tibet, and
on April IL she reached Tachienlu after
hardships such as il seems hardly credible
woman should have surmounted.--San
| Francisco Chronicle.