The Washington times., 1911-08-08

haps / was getting used to the mystery
of the thing. In few minutes we had
risen above the grpesome sight and
were sailing down the valley again.
Presently Gwynne turned toward me
with a very sagacious expression on his
countenance.
DO you know, think 1 understand
| it'll really do" he began. The ship
lurched little as he moved to reach
for mis- pipe. Having lighted it, he went
| on:
mo Tibetan but believes in ghosts
and devils. A wreath of mist OF smoke
suggesting a spirit is far more deadly
| than bullet. Their belief in the su-
pernatural is more firmly fixed than II
| is in the eternal hills that hold them. A
devil or ghost is more respected, and far
more feared, than the grand lama; ana
the knowing ones play ghost and devil
to the ignorant.
Il saw a lot of this practiced while
| here before, and I know II for fact:
means Of livelihood. The fellows, we
saw are masqueraders-they'V frlght-
ened off the others with a pretense OF
. . magic and supernatural powers. I9
dtood do this they killed dssG deW YAK yakS couid
only be made to stand erect by witch
or devil. While herding their own
cattle these men are careful to preserve
theiT disguise.
mails standing and still IN the act OF
grazing No Tibetan dares TO investi-
gate the cause when he knows the 1act'
arI especially after glimpse OF the
devils. He will give I'D tie right of pas
ture first. Hence this magnificent val
lev has been given over 10 the trust"
Shortly before dark we came down for
the night. The valley was more broken
the rocks and headlandS more close
around u.s. We had seen no house since
leaving Gim-ra. though at long intervals
there had been faint column of smoke
in The distance.
We touched earth. Just after sundowp.
for supper. having, eaten nothing since
breakfast. Indeed the novelty of the
situation, the constant change and un-
rolling Of the landscape. put all thought
of toCd from our heads.
Again We were fortunate in finding
wood-to not being in evidence-and our
fiic was soon started. Gwynne made an
estimate OF .he distance Travelled since
leaving GlnI-ra. 1t could not be less
than ninety miles. and might be more.
he said.
We sleDt soundly upon the ground in
an absolutely unknown region-to us
and from the deS0late character OF the
country, We doubted II it were known
to any one. We had no fear of being
disturbed, for ii was an untrodden wiz
dcrness which even beasts avoided.
There was neither pastmaSe nor evil
dence of life upon any side. The wind
mnancd dismallY through the rock cleft5
and lullcd us to sleep.
we waited till the sun was well up
before rising IN the morning, on account
OF the cold. Then we crawled oJt of our
slee pinS bags and got ready for break
warm. and. having finished our pipes.
We left the tiTe and climbed over the
sill: of the machine.
A minute more we were up and away.
Again the fascination of flight. We
never weariPd OF il. fresh as ever, al
DC1N- and enhancing.
Gwvnne settled down TO his cords and
levers. while I. leaning over the side.
drank in the landscape and the strange
new life that was pouring in upon me.
l don't think either of us spoke for 4
dozen miles The air was constantly
growing l,Shter-mOre rareficd-and. be-
fcre we stopped for dinner. Gwynne said
VIC had reaC he'd an altitude of seventeen
thousand feet.
our valley had become a gorge TIE
mountains had grown closer together.
There was sense OF oppression IN thS
awful heights. But with our iEcr eased
te,y toward the great precipice-the
pinnacles that still lowered higher and
higher as we approached them.
Tie mountains grew as we advanced.
Tho air was constantly more difficult to
assimilate. Tea. as we had understood
it. was no longer possible The water
boiled before it was hot, and we had 70
chew the leaves instead of drinking
them. That night we had added another
thousand feet o our height above the
level of the sea-
Gwynne was consulting his chart by
the glow Of the ire.
IF this thing is right" he said, Tad
sa-fuh Is over there" He pointed. Il
skttched it as well as 1 could from
memory"
lie explained that he referred TO the
army m3p Of the EnglishInan.
I looked for the dot that marked Gim-
''Then. we're more than half way"
said. guessing roughly at tie distance
Of The dot representing the position we
II en- occupied, from the and G in
1itating the lamaseries at either end
More than halfway. as the crow
flies. yns: but
But! NY dear fellow. there should
be 70 outs The advantage of the air.
ship is that We can go as the crow
Roedler glanced up at the stars.
Can weP"
OF course we can! Put on more
speed. bury ourselves in the sheepskins.
and presto! the things Cone in crow
Il should be sorry for the crow that
undertook to f1r over the heights that
lie between us and Tad-sa-fuh"
A Continuation of This story VIII