The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-19
In UNEMPLOYED Tibet
AMONG THE BARBARoUs sIFANs, ONE
OF THE sTRANGEsT OF RACES.
Probably the Most Primitive savages
10 He First White Explorer.
special Correspondence Indianapolis Journal

land of Thibet has excited
among the civilized world. With a
history almost coeval with mans knowl-
edge Of the earth upon which he lives. and
forming an integral part Of the Oldest CT
the continents, yet 1T presents the strange
anomaly of being practically as unknown al
the present time when knowledge or It's
existence was mentioned in annals or wnicn
civilized mankind has record. Although DUR
ing the last century it has been recog-
nized as the spoliaopima OF ethnoioglsts
and explorers all attempts to penetrate the
mysterious seclusion or its well nigh I'M
penetrable Businesses have met with little
or success, lengthy record OF the most
disastrous and improbable Of failures. The
sterility of the country. with its immense
desert wastes and the tremendous hard
ships required to successfully cross the i'm
mense mountain ranges surrounding 1t on
all sides, have hitherto proved sufficiently
formidable barriers to repel alien aggres-
sion. This ruggedness of physical contour
has likewise been accumulated by the jeal-
Gus antipathy of the fierce and barbarous
natives inhabiting this strange land. as hos
tile and uncivilized the lowest pagan
tribes Of Africa and the undying hatred of
| the sacerdotal class OF religious lamas, or
brotherhood of native priests, who as the
| real masters Of the country recognize that
| the time must come when their bigoted and
charlatan regime must be swept away be-
fore the resstless forces of civilization.
1t was confronted by such far from reas-
| surfing precedents that l entered upon my
| recent journey Of exploration In this
fold namely to solve 1 e the geographical mys-
| teries Of the great region lying In the water
shed of northeastern Thibet, and by a sue
cessfuI journey through this country to
| gain accurate and indisputable information
strange customs of the various tribes and
races inhabiting it, had left Shanghai
| early in the year with an expedtionary
| force of forty kiangsi warriors and the
sanction of the imperial government at
| fully through China proper. by midsummer
/ had penetrated up the Kinsha Kiang
and D IL thu Of the bs5a nst s
| yond-China having none other than
nominal jurisdiction over this country
unaided Efforts. Continuing our journey
across the Hoang-Ho watershed by the
| first of the following year tire arduous en-
| terprise upon which We had entered so du-
biously had been carried through TO a sue
| cessful contamination. In little more than
a year I was able to thoroughly explore
the immense area OF northeastern Thibet,
travelling through nearly two thousand
miles of territory never visited by white
men before, and for the first time to give
| region and its still stranger inhabitants
A FORBIDDING LAND.
The most potent imaginings of Dante
could not conjure I'D more wild or desc
| late region than that lying among the head
| waters of the Yangtse-Kiang, near to its
| source, which the excessive hostility we en-
countered prevented our determining. For
the most part it is stony, adamant-vis-
aged plateau, except in places, devoid of
vegetable or tree growth, and as barren and
untenantable as the wilds OF the Sahara.
Yet, Notwithstanding this sterility. IL is a
curious country TO See presenting bizarre
repels one at the same time. Over the vast
desert plains and billy slopes are disposed
generations, which would doubtless be mines
OF untold wealth TO archaeologistS and stu
dents OF aboriginal man but that they are
jealousy guarded by the natives OF the pres
ent, who would resent any attempts thai
might be made to disturb the tombs Of their
1t would be an utter impossibility to i'm
agine people more unenlightened and bar
barous than those to be found in Sifan,
but grade removed from the lower order
Of animals. No spark of civilization has yet
made itself felt and one might as well
essay to change the direction of the wind s
wild course as to sow the seeds of Chris
| tianity with hopes OF their qualification.
For the optimst journey from the east
Of China TO Thibet is a most unwelcome ex-
!
, | Life in these bleak attitudes is rough In
. deed. Nature Is without attractions of any
kind. excepting sort Of rough. majestic
search OF landscapes monotonously bleak
and repelling; never tree is seen and
scarcely flower, excepting for a month or
two in the year. Vast mountain peaks are
covered with q soil that Dy thrift and in
dustry might be made wonderfully produc-
| tive, but which is left In Its wild state for
the growth of coarse grasses, furnishing
pasturage for the small herds Of uncondi-
toned. scrawny cattle. The more favored
regions are Inhabited by a few herds of
wild asses. antelopes and long black-haired
yakS, this latter animal being to the native
what the reindeer is to the Laplander pro-
| fuel, dry yak dung. owing TO the scarcity
Of tree growth. being the only fuel to be
found.
THE wOMENs HARD LOT.
OF amusements there are but few, the
male portion of the population spending
what time is not engaged in manual labor
in gambling, for which they show a remark
able aptitude. and into which they enter
with all the passion of devotees, rsking
their entire possessions and even their own
persons on no worthier a pastime than
| guessing the number Of stones which an
other may hold in his hand There is nc
outdoor for the women, who are rarely seen
outside their gloomy cave homes-a
| wretched race of emaciated and haggard be-
ings who bear every evidence of the hard
ness of their lot. Occasionally the lords OF
| creation will condescend TO take them on a
visit TO some neighboring village permit
them to pass a short time by themselves or
top Of earth, and with these delights they
are not only required to be but are in real
ity satisfied.
the population of eastern Thibet IL may be
said that their moral code Is excessively
corrupt and lax. In general they are rest
less and seditious, the vainest and mos
painstaking Of liars thieves and murder
ers, with conjunction whatsoever fol
taking life for such trivial matters as de
string the possession of knife or equally
valueless an article. even if the victim bt
trustw orthy, the proven Dial Chinese honest,
: being but a myth having a nebulous exist
ence in the minds of charitabiy disposed
apologists for present conditions. Neverthe
| less il is to this sort of rabble that China
{ must intrust the ruling of her western from
! | tier for the reason that the constantly grow
ing menace OF Russian aggression needs tn.
! placing of the administration OF the coun
1 | try in native hands Thus far, however
this policy has proved more disastrous thar
! | successful the Russian spies and diplomats
! | agents finding in the treache-ous populac'
{ | their best confederates. And there can b.
| no doubt that already Russia Is holding :
! whip hand over this vast region of centra
| Asia and is quietly but none the less eff
| fectually. pushing forward TO consumma
ton her gigantic schemes for Slavonic ag
erosion and dominance in the East Al
: | ready her traders, her spies her militar,
1 officials and diplomats have threaded
Q through the wild country of Turkestan ant
| even into China proper, sowing sedtion n
: one spot concliating the barbarous natfv.
u tribes in another. binding the Chinese gov