The Portland daily press., 1898-02-16
LAnooR,s roRruRgs IN Tibet.
Some Terrible Experiences-TheF Failure of
an Heroic Attempt TO visit Difficult
and Forbidden Country.

Walter Savage Lander, has just returned
to his home in Florence from Thibet. Of
that mysterious country we know almost
nothing, and if the mention of it has
heretofore brought up old legends of a
sacred people, of capital sheltering an
order of monks given to contemplative
lives, and to the memory of half-forgot-
ten tales of strange nomad races, some of
the mystery will soon be cleared up, for
Mr.. Lander has brought back with him
maps and surveys of all the country pass
ed over, an exhaustive diary, kept up to
the time he was taken captive by the ma
tives, mass of material for the British
Museum, besides collection of %
wounds, each one unique in its cruelty,
it's hideous suggestiveness and it's endur-
ing results.
There are brave men, who because they
are men feel that they must be brave,
and there are men born brave; but there
are few men SO physically brave that
they treat the exercise of extreme cour-
as the process of respiration, who feel
bravery to be simply the natural health
full condition of body and mind, who do
not know what fear implies. Mr.. Ian
dor regards fear and disease as Identical
Never in the course OF his life has he
been physically unwell. He declares him
self to be organically perfect. Therefore,
Mr.. Lander calmly prepared for a two
years journey through country of
which the chief reports were those of
fortunes and murders, perpertrated upon
too adventurous pioneers within the bor
ders. He had food prepared in concen-
trated form by the Liebig food company,
and he carefully selected his outfit, con-
sisting largiy of geographical instru-
paraphernalia and Photographic appara-
tus. He started overthe Thibetan frontier
with company of 80 men Hindus. and
himself the only white. Mr.. Landor al
ways travels alone, declaring it impos
sible for two intelligent men to go
mora the party bid a1ieu to the last Eu-
ropean, and set out to cross the province
of Thibet, to visit the capital, which has
never sheltered white man, or at least
no white man has ever returned to tell
the tale, and to explore it's interior.
One after another the company
dwindled. they ran back from fear,
dropped off from illness, or mutinied,
until only two native Hindus remain
ed to accompany Mr.. Lander. These
two stayed by their master
through all his vicissitudes, followed
him with canine fidelity, and are now his
constant companions.
OF the experiences gone through while
within the fatal borders of Thibet could
not hear, for of course, they are for Mr..
Landor himself to tell. But the collec-
ton of photographs and water-color
sketches, of the latter of which he has
200. exquisitely finished and conceived
with perfect understanding in bringing
out the prominent character of that
unique mountain structure of the Hima-
layas, and its peculiar atmospheric effect,
furnish a graphic history of one side of
the journey, while the photographs,
taken at all points with lavish profusion,
furnish the realistic illustration.
The tale is begun with the photograph
of Mr.. Lander and his two confidential
servents, in their travelling outfit, as they
entered the boundaries; then come
photographs of the bivouac, the company
of 81 souls tenting and resting after long
marches The gradual ascent is learned
by the slow approach to the. at first, far
distant icy peaks. There is one photo
graph especially Of novel bath taken
is, 600 feet above the sea. A tiny stream
of water is poured upon the shivering
back of the courageous bather, the drops
turning into pellets of ice as they fall.
Another is the picture of the first ap-
roach of the natives, the uncertain size
of the slowly approaching band. Grad
ually the line draws nearer, the number
and the Accomplishments become distin-
Quishable. ENJOYS are sent out to con-
suit, and. received q rebuff. Then the last
night in camp The ominous quiet that
preoedes a storm broods over the little
party, which has now diminished TO O
handful. Then there are portraits of each
of the expedition, of the barrioades, pitt
fully weak and useless, seen from the in
side. The distant landscape is taken In
mass and in detail, each characteristic
brought out with distinctness. There fol-
lows a hurried picture of the little caval-
cade lodging here ana there among the
low hills, of intense faces and visible
decrease in the 1mped1menta. Evidently,
all possible baggage has been dispensed
with. Then there is q lapse. The magic
eve is closed and we see no more
The next picture is of a naked figure
bound to tree. Around it dance circle
of the most hideous beings that ever
walked on two feet. 1t is impossible to
call them human. With fiattenad heads.
distorted bodies and small, cunning eyes.
the lower part Of the face more resemb-
ling an animals than mans, these
creatures jeer and taunt the victim of
their cruelty. SIashed and bruised, with
the cords cutting. deep into the flesh of
wrists and ankles, the brave seryan
grimly conceals every trace of pain. The
bronze face might be a relief on some old
coin. We have no photograph of the scene
which followed, where the master was
treated to tho same experience. The
camera was captured, and to its dark in
terror the savages dared not penetrate,
thinking it was some instrument of the
devil. Here we must turn to the two
surviving men. Mr.. Landcr's eyes were
burned and withered by white-hot irons,
He was bound for hours to the rack, and
twisted and wrenched out OF all sem bIance
to a man. 3 He was made to ride for so
miles in a saddle stuck over with spikes.
One of these entered the base of the spine