The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-10-01
forbidden CITY
seen BY WOMAN
Disguised as Beggar, Mime.
David Lives Four Months
in Lhassa.

dTlS.-A ldSCludIluS tdlc VI dUVeu'
ture will be told one day by French.
woman, Nine. Alexandra David, who
has returned to western civilization
after fourteen years voluntary exile
in the mysterious Fa- East, most OF
them passed in patient efforts to reach
Lhassa, the forbidden CITY," She
eventually attained her goal and lived
for some time in the capital of Tibet,
hiding her real identity under the rags
Of beggar woman.
Nine David had no thought Of Lhas-
sa when she left France in 1911 on
an official mission to India and Bur.
NAH, the French government having
asked her to make survey Of certain
aspects of the old Buddhist philosophy
as revealed by newly discovered docu-
ments. Quite by accident, however,
she met the dalai lama, who had been
driven from Lhassa by the Chinese.
Decides Upon Journey.
From that moment she had but one
idea: visit the Forbidden city. She
says her imagination was so fired by
the thought that she could not sleep
at nights, and she found it impossible
to settle down to any other work until
she began to make definite plans to
satisfy her ambition.
From the outset Nine David decided
that the only way to make success a
reasonable certainty was to travel
through Tibet as native, living the
life Of native. For this purpose she
started patiently to learn the language
and study the habits of the people.
For two years she lived in cavern,
hewn out Of rocks 1900 feet up on
the "roof Of the world" Her neigh
Dor was an old hermit who taught her
the language and eXpounded the mean
ing Of old manuscripts.
1t was only after a three-years' So
journ at the monastery of Koum
Boum (from 1879 that Nine. David
decided she was ready to start out on
the conquest of Lhassa.
II crossed the great virgin forests
Of Oudo," relates Nine. David. ST
lived among wandering tribes. But
directly entered more populous re-
gions, traversed by caravan tracks,
was turned back relentlessly by mes
sengers obeying the orders of mysteri-
Gus chiefs. And on the journey back
my carriers, men and beasts, persisted
Of hunger and cold.' ....
Several attempts to cross the zone
of obstacles having failed, Nine. Da-
vid realized 1t was hopeless to try
again in the same conditions So she
resolved to go alone, accompanied by
only one servant. She crossed snow
blocked passes, sometimes having to
carve steps In the perpendicular noun
tain sides. Eventually she reached
the Upper Salouen, but there again
she found herself gripped by the same
mysterious hands. Wherever she tried
to pass she was stopped by unexpect-
ed obstacles or accidents, and after
wandering helplessly over the unend-
ing desert she was obliged to return
to Kou-Kou-Nor.
Tries China Route.
Determined to succeed at all costs
the venturesome woman made another
attempt, crossing China, from the
frontier of Mongolia to the Yummen.
then setting out afoot for the I'm
known with her adopted son, a lib.
etan boy whom she had educated and
raised almost from his babyhood
Both were disguised as pilgrims, and
begged their way from place to place.
They journeyed by night, encountering