The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-03

body so as to maintain my seat, and
with my arms pulled violently back
ward by the rope. the flesh was rubbed
off my hands and knuckles by the
chain of the handouts. In places the
bone was exposed. and, of course, ev-
cry tug brought me into forcible con-
tact with the spikes and inflicted deep
er wounds. the cord, though strong,
eventually and unexpectedly gave way.
The soldier who was pulling at .tho
other end was clumsily unhorsed and
I was myself all but thrown by the
unexpected jerk"
BLOoD-CURDLING DISPLAY.
Further on Mr.. Landor was fired
at again, but the marksman again
missed him, as did several arrows
which were shot at him from behind.
Arrived at their destination, the Tibet
ans hurried Mr. Landor off to the eX-
ecution grounds, where he was made
TO stand on the sharp edge Of a log,
his legs stretched as wide apart as
possible, and he was fixed in that pain
ful position. by cords drawn so tight
that they cut grooves in the flesh of
his feet and ankles. lie says:
The spectacle before me was over
Whelming, BY the pOmbo's' tent stood
in row the most villainous brutes l
have ever set eyes upon. One, a pow
crfu, repulsive individual, held i'm his
hand a great knobbed mallet, used for
fraCtuling bones: another carried a
bow and arrows a third held a big
two handed sword: while others made
display of various ghaStlY nstru-
nents of torture. The crowd, thirst
ing for my blood. formed up in semi
circle, leaving room for mo to see the
parade of the torture implements that
GNalted me, and as my eyes roamed
from one figure to another, the sew
cral 1.amas shook their various inn
plem"rts to show that they were pre-
pairing for action"
THREATEN TO BURN HIS EYES.
The eliminating joint was reached
when the "pOmbo' himself advanced.
holding the taram. an iron bar with 4
wooden handle, heated red hot I've
| VII! burn out your eyes, yelled the
| chorus of Lamas-.and indeed they went
! very near to doing 80, Brandishing
| the tram. the "pOmbo" came and plaC-
! ed it parallel to and about an inch or
| two from Mr.. Landor's eYeballs.
! ''lnstinCtively | kept my eyes tight.
| ly closed, but the heat was so intense
that it seemed as if my eyes. the left
| one especially, were being desiccated
| and my nose scorched. Though the
| time seemed interminable I do not
| think the heated bar was before my
eyes actually longer than thirty sec
| onds or SO. Yet it was quite long
| enough for, when I lifted my aching
eyelids / saw everything as in a red
! mist. My left eye was frightfully
painful, and every few seconds il
seemed as if something in front Of II
| obscured it's vision"
RACKED FOR "a HOURS.
The crowd was clamorirg for the
| Englishman's death. ana the execution
er appeared with naked sword. This
| he laid on the victims neck. appear
ed to measure his distance carefully
for an effective stroke, and finally
struck several blows close to his head
| The "pombo.' however, did not mean
business. and Mr.. i.andor and his fol
lowers escaped with their lives But
their troubles were not over. Mr.. Ian
dor and Man Sing were stretched on
| u ~ iAilii'lNN' bul lllOSl tllttluul klll'
| of rack, with their feet fastened tc
the log before mentioned and their
hands to high posts. The pain was
| eNcruCiating, and in this terrible posi-,
tion, under drenching rain, numbeG
with cold and burning with fever, mas
ter and man remained for twenty-foul
| hours
DEFORMITY SAVES LIFE.
In spite of all this brutality theil
lives We're finally spared, and they wer,
set at liberty on the frontier. And why
do you think his life was spared? Be
cause, on his hands being examined. i
was found that his fingers were webbeC
rather higher than is usual. ana tha
is thing highly thought of in Tibet
He who possesses such fingers has
according to the Tibetans, charme,
life; and no matter how much on,
tries. no harm can he done to him
Apart from the question whether ther,
was much charm or not in my life IL
Tibet. there is no doubt that this trir
ling superstition did much toward has
tening the nomho decision as to What
was to be our fate"