The Washington times., 1911-07-31

to join the party of a Chi
nese merchant who was going throug
TO Dthor, which was, fortunately, direct
ly In our path. We bought a couple o
ponies from a Manchu Tartar who wa
about to start down the river; and hav
Ing paid the Chinaman TO transport ou
properties on his mixed train of yaks
1ackasses. and camels, we moved ou
or the town as part Of this picturesqu
procession.
Our first halt was at a small mInin,
village not far from Sadya, where w,
were greatly amused by a snake charm
er who knew something of English, ant
who afterward offered to become ou
guide. He said he had been to the lam
asery of Tad-sa-fuh-a statement which
It would take us from a month to siI
weeks to get there, according to tht
condition OF the roads and the rivers.
It was fortunate we did not engage
him, for he was caught stealing the mex
day and driven from the settlement
soon saw II would be no easy matter tC
get proper guide into the remote
mountain Businesses ahead. and we left
Romte with uncertain emotions, our car.
avan still headed for Dihor.
Before parting with the Chinaman, we
were able to purchase four yaks. a
quantity OF tea, and some butter. besides
other supplies. The man also recon-
mended one of his own party to escort
US through the first passes. AS the fel-
low seemed honest and did not profess
too great familiarity with the unknown
name was Toxic. He proved a useful
servant and worthless guide so long as
We were together.
Three OF the yaks were packed with
our effects; the other one was used as
G. saddle beast for Toxic. Gwynne ana
] rode the ponies.
After leaving the Chinaman, our gen.
eral direction was TO the northwest.
through Abor and Gimuchen. over
mountains of indesCri able grandeur,
into the Tibetan frontier. The pas
sage of the Himalaya baffies the pow
er of words TO picture. The man VINO
can conjure the image in the mind
of another is a magician. 1t was the
great closed land we were entering
the Bodland OF the lamas. The spine
OF the earth. whose valleys arc fifteen
thousand feet above the level of the
sea, and whose mountains tower as
far above them.
Tibet is undoubtedly the most for
bidding country upon the globe, the
most inaccessible, the most mysteri:
GUS. Buttressed by those awful
heights of the Himalayas, it bids de-
fance to the peering eyes Of the low
land. Lodged far above the clouds, II
harbors a race of men unknown to
the world beneath. Bleak. desolate,
swept by the bitterest winds of win
ter-its valleys clothed with the most
dazzling greens of summer-ft is the
enchanted land of the Bod. No human
foot has ever touched its greatest
heights, while the miasma Of its
depths is fever-breeding and deadly.
We sat at tea Toxic little way be-
low, the beasts cropping the juicy ver-
dure in the crannies of the rocks.
There were places where our portage
was necessarily augmented by the
addition of 10, dried yak dung, which
we used for fuel. Generally there
was plenty to be found where we
were, but there were days OF pure
rock. without grass or fuel, and the
10 was carried in gunnY- sacks. We
also carried barley for the animals
food
The beasts were really much over
loaded, but II was the best we could
part with no others. We had hoped
to buy more on the road. but had been
disappointed. We cut down the dis
tance Travelled each day to conform
with the emergency.
The nights were cold: but we were
we'll supplied with puttoo. a heavy
woolen cloth made in Cashmere. We
also had sheepskin coats and trous-
sun down-it being too warm in the
middle of the daT to wear [ hem. The
difference in the temperature between
midday and midnight was very great.
cts for bedding. besides boots that
were large enough to admit of several
pairs OF stockings being worn inside
OF them.
Fortunately. Gwynne had acquired
q working knowledge of the Tibetan
language, or Bod-skad. as 1t is call |
ed. II 1t had not been for this, I
don't know how we should have got
along, as Toxic knew hardly anything
OF English. Between the two, we man |
aged to keep up a fair exchange of
ideas, and to gather from day to day
some knowledge of the country ahead. |
0wynne had no recollection of the
trail and sometimes doubted II we
we're on the right one The country
vas too vast; the distances between |
the official rest houses and the mon !
astertes. or gombasr too great, and !
their similarity too pronounced. There |
membered-at others he was sure he !
had been mistaken. But the general !
direction seemed right. and so day |
after day, we struggled on.
We had finished our supper, when |
hnger Of snow pointed heavenward
I've seen that before" he said,
turning toward me and directing my
to the peak.
I was glad to find that he had dis
covered something familiar, and said
"But 1t doesn't look quite the same"
he added. after a minute. 1T seems
much farther to the north than it did
the last time l saw it-farther from
the trail, l mean"
/ asked If he could be sure II was
the same. He answered that he could
not, but that he had a growing con-
Viction we were on the wrong path.
He felt sure that Toxic had never been
et Tadsa -fuh. and that he was lead
Ing US astray. Probably he had a
Rfrsonel interest in some other part
q the country. Besides. Gwynne now
the road looked different. He
was sure that he remembered none of
the giachugs, or rest-houses. But
there was nothing to be done. No
other opening offered, so we decided
10 go on.
Gwynne impressed upon me the i'm
port6nce of keeping a careful watch
ahead, as, in the event that the fellow
was leading us into some bandit en-
campment, we should be prepared.
Destitute in the extreme. these native
were always on the
lookout for travellers. and were liable
to attack us at any time and place.
worth the effort
So we looked after our firearms,
Impressed Toxic with their wonderful
and that he would find us
} dangerous enemy II decoyed into
/ trap. The fellow looked innocent
enough, but We were resolved not to
;lace too much confidence in him.
One day we stopped at chatdam,
)r trading-place. 1t was the first hu-
nan residence we had seen for a
great distance. ,
After unloading our beasts. we went
nto the house. A great fire of 10 was
,urning in the middle of the floor on
| raised hearth, the smoke escaping
4 l. ~