Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-22

lS93-SIXTEEN PAGES.
here or few miles further on told them e
send men ahead and notify the nearest post OF
soldiers that . foreigner was coming and tina.
they disclaimed any knowledge Of his move
menss and had nothing to do with him.
TURNED BACK BIT THE SOLDIERS.
This plan was carried out and Mr.. Rockhill's
party was stopped on the bank of the Dangch'u
by . party Of Thibetan soldiers and detained
for Eve days in An unavsiling discussion with
the Nagchu Ponbo as to the route to be
followed. One day q chief came across the
river TO see the strange visitor and find on;
what he had for sale or what he wished to buy.
and from him Mr.. Rockhill learned that the
Dangch'u where he was camped marked the
eastern boundary in this part Of the country
OF Lh'asa territory. The chief told him that
II he would come across the river to him be
would assist him to cross the country, get new
horses ana ultimately reach Ch'amdo and
thence China.
THE CHINESE PROVINCE.
The explorers crossed the Dangchu July q
and entered the territory of Jyade or the
Chinese Province" governed By native chiefs
appointed by the Chinese minister resident at
Lh'asa Cor Lh'asa Ahban). This important
province was separated from Lh'asa bv the
Chinese IN the seventeenth century in view OF
the enmIty between its people, who profess the
Bonbo religion "a form OF the devil wors hip OF
shamanism, which obtained at one time or
another through most OF Asia, though now
mixed up with lama;sm to such an extent tina,
it Is hardly distinguishabe from it, and the fol-
lowers OF the yellow and red secis of Buddhism
living on Lh'asa soil. One Of the chiefs of
Jyade travelled with the party as far as the Su-
Of he I've,
CHI Cthe Salwen). Thence toMer-dzoag the party
received the greatest kindness from the people
and the Bonbo lamas. whose liberal views and
readiness to accept new ideas was much ad-
mired.
All the feeders of the upper Jyama M chm
were crossed. some forded and others crossed
by means Of a rawhide cable anchored to either
slde OF the river and along which the travellers
were drawn tied by their middles. On August
Is the pretty Bstssumdo valley was reached
and the next day the party came to the
seramto-chu. where hamlets. resembling from
afar our medieval castles, crowned every hill
and the whole valley was green with fields of
waving barley. On Angus I9 camp was pitched
al Mar Peihu. the birthplace of his protector,
the Deba Nor Jvaltsan which is few miles
above the big village Of Oh ebo Teuchin on the
Ze-ch'u.
STRANGE ENCOUNTER.
AT this last named place" said Mr.. Rock
NIL. came to me in the night and with much
mystery a man, who showed me sheet of very
soiied foolscap. asking me to translate the lines
written on 1t and which ap'iling (foreigner)
had given him a few months before, 1t was n
ceruncate by II. Bower. captain seventeenth
Bengal cavalry, stating that the bearer had sun
piled him with transport fuel and fodder. ard
was dated December II. 1891 When on the
Su-ch u hao heard that in the FRS month in
tne year party of foreigners coming FROM the
"est-Io one knew wnere-had parsed eastward
by route parallel and 10 the south of the one
L was following. Their dress. habits and es
peclaliy their black cook. had been 30 r,;nute!-
described to mo thar it had left no doub: IL nv
nina as 10 the truth o: my inforInant-s story
ana now Ii was confirmed, and our roads start
ing from such widely separated points as Leh,
In Ladak. and Peklns, had finally met in the
heart of Ihibet''
REACHING TEE HIGH ROAD To CHINA
On August % MIR. Rockhill reached the town
OF hlwoche, place famed for its beautiful
temple and picturesque situation az the foot OF
steep forest-clad mountains, between which
winds broad swift river, here spanned by
substantial bridge of huge pine logs. Passing
TO the south Of the city of Oh 'amdo, to which
town MIR. Rockhill. lik. his Predecessor. Can't.
Bower, WAS refused adrnittance the high road
to China was reached Il. PunSie (two Stages
south OF Oh amdo). and from this point TO
China a Chinese escor. was given the traveller
and he was able to enjoy CD all the Injuries of
Chinese travel
stopping at Draya, at Gartok, Bat 'any and
Lit ang. Ta-chien-lu in Ssu-ch' nan was reached
october 2. and he again met his good friends.
the French fathers. Here on the eastern bor-
oe, OF Ihibet the journey WAS practically
ended, for, though several thousand miles still
separated Mr.. Rockhil from the seaboard.
they could be travelled rapidly and with COM
fort. Leaving Ta-chien-lu on October 5 he was
IN shanghai on the 29th. exactly eleven months
from tine time he had left It
WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED.
SIN that time said Mr.. Rockhil in cor-
GLIDING his narrative, II had travelled about
5000 miles. surveyed about 3i17 miles and
during the geographically important part OF
The journey crossed sixty-nine passes. all of
them rising over Il 900 feet above sea Level and
not few reached $1,000. had taken a series
OF sextant observations at a hundred points
along the road, determined 145 attitudes bv the
po!iing point OF water taken $50 photographs
and made important chronological and botanical
toilections. For two months We had lived at
nm altitude OF over 1900 feet. soaked by the
rains and blinded by the snow and hail, with
htlie or notlinS 20 eat and nothing 20 drink
but tea and yet not one of lis had mad mo-
nent 5 illness from the day We left to the day
We reached our homes again"
GEfoRE THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
In February last Mr. Rockhill read paper
N regard to his explorations in Thibet before
The Royal Geographical Society in London and
received hearty vote OF thanks therefor. In
! discussion which followed The reading Sir
Henry Howorth paid a wel-.icserved tribute TO
Mr.. kockhills learning and his knowledge OF
ihlbet All the country tnrough which he
lad passed, said Sir Henry. was full OF roman
nc interest; it was the lard of the Prester John
IT Marco Polo. and was also the scene of that
extraordinary immigration Of kalmuck people.
who. forced out Of Russia under tine pressure
If the tax gatherer, had. after wandering
thousands of miles. settled in the kokonor re-
gions lt was these same people, he said. who
ayed the throne of the Grand Lama. and ne
Knew from Mr.. Eochhill himself that tke charm
ng accounts given by the Able Hue consti-
uted not oaiy the picturesque writings thew
ine" them to be. bus were also true and accu-
ate.
Capt. Bower, vino was present at the time.
aid tina. Mr.. Rockniils task had been much
more difficult than his own as he had not the
ame facllitias