Evening star., 1925-08-09

Jakyendo? We have heard about
her"
Yes, she is, and you understand
that she does not fear robbers, any
more than wild beasts or any other
thing. One who would steal the least
of her belongings would Immediately
be discovered and caught. In that
case, she has only to look in bowl
full of water and, at once, she sees
in 1t the likeness of the thief to-
gether with the stolen things and the
place where both are at that moment" J"
80, it is really true" said the men.
"All the dokpas (cowmen) say white
foreigners have such power
Nothing is more certain" con-
firmed my head servant
Tsering was well acquainted with
that story which was repeated among
the cowmen and, cleverly, he had
taken advantage of it to frighten the
robbers and to dissuade them from
going to fetch friends to rob US a
few days later.
About 10 days had elapsed since that
incident when we stopped for the
night in front of an encampment of
dokpas. l retired in my tent before
night had fallen and from there /
heard many visitors coming. They
were bringing presents of milk and
butter and Yungden told them that
the lama-lady had shut herself up for
religious meditation and could not be
disturbed, but that she would see them
the following morning. Then some
whispering went on and, servant
having called the dokpas to drink tea
near the kitchen fire, they all moved
away and l could not hear more of
what was said.
x X 4
A T dawn Yongden asked permission
to enter my tent
Il must" he said. inform you. be-
fore the dokpas call again, about their
request of yesterday. They say that
some of their horses have been stolen
away, they do not know by whom,
and they wish you to look in a bowl
of water in order to describe to them
the thieves and the place where they
keep the stolen animals
What did you tell them l asked.
II think" answered Yongden, that
maybe. these men have bad intentions.
Perhaps they have not suffered any
loss and they only wish to know if
that which is said about the bowl of
water business and the magic power
of the white foreigner is really true
or not. Who knows if they have not
an eye on our fine Chinese mules and
would not be delighted to steal them
if they were convinced that you could
not trace the thieves if the robbery
happened at a few days march from
their own encampment, where the
tribe to which the brigands belong
could not be ascertained?"
IF you tell them that you have
seen their horses, and so on, and
that noae had been stolen, they VIII
be convinced that you have not been
able TO detect their lie. that you are
powerless in magic. and they may
loot us. So l have explained TO them
thai truly you could see all that they
want to know in a bowl of water. but
that the water needed is somewhat
different from that ons could just
draw at once from the stream. That
water must be prepared by ceremonies
and the recitation of a ritual that
lasts for three days. They have un-
derStood that at once. Then | have
said that 1t is doubtful that you could
delay here three days, because you
are called to Amdo for an important
meeting with a great lama.
Also. as l know how much they
shrink at the idea of killing in cold
blood a man who has but stolen some
property, l have added that as soon
as you would have discovered the
thieves you must hand them to the
Chinese magistrate to be put to death.
1t is, | have said. in the power of
none to spare their life. The ToWo
Nwrathful deity) by the power of whom
that divinatory rite is performed,
claims them as victims, and if they
We're not sacrificed he would turn his
anger against those who have re-
quested the conjuration to be done
and he would take their life.
"They have become terrified; they
all have declared that they feared to
irritate Towo and preferred to look
after their horses according to their
own way and to try to get good
compensation from the thieves"
I smiled at his ruse. and when the
dokpas came, bringing some more
presents, l repeated to them the very
things Yongden had told them the day
before. so that they definitely gave up
all idea of requesting the celebra ton
of the too tragic rite of the looking
into a bowl of water by a white for
eigner.
The head servant had in his early
youth travelled as far as Tachienlu IA
Tibetan town in the Szechuan prov
ince) and been in the service of for
eignerS. AS a result of these visits
he had acquired a skepticism of which
he liked to make a show before his
more credulous companions. During
the first days that followed that Incl
dent he did not stop from taking il
as subject of jokes, laughing at the
simpleton who had been so easily
fooled.
by that time we had reached the
shore of the large, blue lake, the
most holy Koko-nor, worshiped by
thousands of Tibetans and Mongo-
lians. The rains were ended. l could
see again that wonderful inland sea
bathed in bright sunshine and it's
rocky islands, among which the larg
est has been for centuries the dwelling
of few anchorites.
Once, when / was coming back to
the camp after having bathed in the
lake. 1 saw Tsering going out from
Gongden's tent and putting something
in his breast pocket. He looked
little agitated and proceeded quickly
toward the kitchen place without no.
ticing my presence at some distance
behind him. The same evening
Yongden told me that having been
called for some business when he was
counting money, he had left his purse
on box in his tent and had forgot
ten about it. Later on, when taking
it, three rupees were missing
l did not tell him about Tsering; l
only scolded him for his carelessness,
and the thing ended there.
Three days later l arranged on my
camp table a few blades of grass, some
rice and lighted incense sticks, and
in the middle 1 placed a bowl full of
water. | waited till the time when l
knew that the servants were in their
tent, undressed and lying down, if not
yet sleeping. Then, according to their
custom, all their most precious be-
longings, especially money, were hid
den under the bag or whatever thing