The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-28
TURNED BACK BY TIBETANS.
SVEN HEDIN's STORY OF HIS
ATTEMPT TO REACH LHASSA.
He Was Told That the Dalai Lama Nd Not
Wish to Harm Him. but His Head
Would lie Cut on n He Tried to Force
His way TO the sacred City-Ttbetans
Load Him Down With Presents.

His Way to the sacred City-Tibetans
LOAD Him Down With Presents
Explorers are finding it exceedingly
surface. One Is the North Pole and the
other Is the holy city OF Lhassa.
The Ice King guards all routes TO the
North Pole. and not being amenable 10
bribery. nattery or the various social arts
which often melt the sternest opposition
he is declared by common consent to be
an exceedingly difficult proposition. The
Lamas. dignitaries and soldiers OF the
Dalai Lama. the political ruler Of Tibet
never give the stranger an opportunity
to knock at the door Of Lhassa, but meet
him, now with smiles and again with frowns,
and are fully prepared TO kick him out OF
the country unless he Ii discreet enough
TO retire without being thus forcibly
entreated.
Sven Hedin. the greatest recent explorer
OF Central Asia, ID the latest TO have been
turned back; and the interesting story Of
his advance and Of his gentle. but firm,
repulse is told Below In his own words.
Since 1916. when the French missions
Hue and CADET. who had lived many years
In China. visited Lhassa in disguise no
TuTODtdu btL lOOt Wltutn tNc RuleS
the city A number of white explorers
have used all the energy tempered with
tact at their command to gain admittancc,
but none OF them has come within view
OF the holy city.
Prominent among tho baffied whites
have been Prejevalsky, who in his journey
Of Is $50 was not able to get nearer than
$50 miles Of Lhassa; Bonvalot. the French
explorer. who with Prince Henry Of Orleans
In his party pushed on to Lake Tcngri,
within fifty miles Of I.hassa before he was
turned back: Bowen. who was faced about
p by the Tbetans at the same lake. Miss
Taylor. who proved that not even white
woman would be Hospitality received. and
LAndor. who was nearly murdered by the
soldiers Of the Dalai Lama while he was
. approaching Lhassa on the south.
(. The only descriptions of the city that have
come to us since the days Of Fathers Hue
and CADET have been received from q few
Indian surveyors. ono native Of Nepal and
. Kalmuk chief. all Buddhists or pretending
/. TO be Buddhists, who wero admitted to
Lhassa a. devotees.
: On his last expedition TO Central Asia
DR.. Sven Hedin crossed over into Tibet
with the largest caravan he ever led. 1t
comprised thirty Mussulmans, four Co.'S
sacks, one Monaghan Lama, thirty-uine
camels forty-five horses end mules. seventy
asses, fifty sheep and eight dogs.
He marched south for nine days without
interference, pitching his tent finally near
the mountains which overhahg Lake Tengri
on the north. He was about seventy miles
south from his main camp. Here ia the
story Of tho subsequent events which he
told at meeting Of the Royal Geographic
Society In London on Monday. Dec. 8. last.
Thus far we're we destined to 81, but no
further For just before 1t co. quite dark
announced that We were their prisoners
and that one step further would cost us our
lives. We accordingly halted and awaited
peasively the progress Of events.
our tent. We saw the nbetans' fires
through tho mist In every direction but
more especially on the road toward Lhassa.
The next day, too. We kept tolerahly quiet,
upon peroeiving q hand Of ffty-three
mounted men, armed with long black
up like mushrooms out OF the ground and
gallon In extended order toward our tent.
sUttering a string Of widest yells, or
war whoops, they charged straight down
dove on past. then wheeled round and
came back again like hurricans, flourish
ing their pixies over thor heads. After
that they pitched their tents close to ours
and began to shoot.
This they did, II would seem, to inspire
B with respect. Our impression was that
II they intended to take our lives in polite
manner, 1t was scarcely necessary to levy
so many people to do II.
'They were all dressed in black and red
while the remainder had red bands around
their heads. As a rule, however, the
7 Tbetans 60 bareheaded, and never have
their hair either combed or cut.
Meanwhile We were treated with the
greatest friendlness by the first corners
whatever to fear; the Dalai Lama had
given orders that We should be treated
with the greatest consideration and that
all We needed in the way OF provisions
should be provided us free OF COST
Accordingly, they bror Ght US milk.
butter and lard In their bowls. and pre-
sented US with more mutton and frewood
than we knew what to do with, nor would
they accept any kind OF payment what
soever In return. In the course Of q few
the province Of Naktchu would arrive,
and then we should know our fate.
And In due time the said high Official
put In his appearance, and We soon saw q
up alon gside the road to Lhassa. Through
his interpreter. who spoke Monaghan.
the Governor invited me to a grand ban
quot In his tent, but / answered that if
he wished to See me he was at liberty to
pay me visit.
Accordingly, in the course Of tho after
= noon Nc perceived a crowd OF horsemen
gallop out from among the tents and ride
toward US. They consisted Of Kamba-
Bombo. Governor OF Naktchu, and Nanso
Lama, accompanied by several other digni-
taries, besides officers and soldiers armed
as II for campaign Of them
In all-each man mounted and dressed In
handsome ceremonial robes.
i question whether they ever clearly
understood who ] was; but, seeing the
pomp and ceremony they assumed, ii was
evident they ina gined somebody out Of the
common was disguised beneath my tattered
Monaghan garb. All these men carried
swords, suspended from richly chased
silver belts, ornamented with corals and
rubies. They wore, further, odpos or
talisman cases. round their necks, and
were adorned with rings, bra ceets, and
other finery. and had their hats trimmed
with feathers.
"Meenwnile Kamba- Bombo was in the
very best humor, now that he had us
completely in his power, and declare
categor o lily that. no matter who We were.
We mus, retraoe our steps II we did not
with to have our heads cut of at the same