comment, and then it appeared that one of his patients
had been told of the intention of the Tibetans to make
a night attack upon the Mission. Such rumours had,
of course, been common ever since our occupation of the
place, and had been proved time after time to be the
merest canards. Captain Walton paid very little attention
to it, but he was sufficiently aware of a change in
the attitude of his patients-fcsuch of them as remained
for treatment— to make him report the matter to
Colonel Younghusband that evening, without, however,
expressing any belief or, indeed, much interest in the
matter. B y this time his hospital was empty of all its
inmates except, I believe, one or two bedridden men
who could find no one to come and help them away.
I have said that the luckiest were the most cowardly,
but for the main body of the attacking force there was no
help. When their attack failed and flight was necessary
they were obliged to make the best of their way
back across the flat plain to the jong and Gyantse. The
defenders’ post numbered in all about 170 men, but
this number was to a large extent weakened by the
fact that Colonel Brander had naturally taken with
him the strongest men of the force, and those who
remained behind were, certainly to the extent of forty
per cent., either weakened by dysentery or actually in
hospital blankets. But, well or ill, every man reached
for his rifle and came out to his place. The members
of the Mission— Colonel Younghusband, Lieut.-Colonel
Waddell, Captain Ryder, and, it should not be forgotten,
Mr. Mitter, the confidential clerk of the MissionS-imme-
•diately manned the upper works, and a certain number
of the followers displayed considerable martial energy
in positions of more or less personal danger. About a
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