of splendid workmanship, and they offer a good example
of the peculiar stone-laying of Lhasa. Divided
by lines, three stretchers ” deep, of stone almost as
thin as a tile, the greater blocks are ranged in courses
separated from each other by splinters of granite set
horizontally and symmetrically between the bigger
lumps. This is the universal method of laying the
masonry of L h a sa ; it will be found throughout the
province of U and in rare cases in Tsang also, but we
found it is specially characteristic of Lhasa, though I
do not know how far the custom has extended to the
East. The upper part of this wall is friezed above a
string course with maroon red and at the south-east
comer there is a curious and unexpected symbol of
a religion with which Lamaism should have nothing in
common. Half-way along the southern side, where
there is but fifteen yards between the water of the Kyi
chu and the wall, is a latticed projection containing
about 430 small, well-designed images of the Master,
and one strangely inconsequent white china figure
of a lady on a beast, which might have come from
Germany. Here, there was good fishing and beside
this little shrine the “ Nightmare ” * put off his
panoply of war and deftly drew the mud-barbel from
the waters of the K yi chu.
As we have said, this haunt was left inviolate,
and the Mission established itself at the Lha-lu house.
This is a large and substantial building, seven or eight
hundred yards away from the Lu-kang ford of the Kaling-
* This we found to our amusement was Captain Ottley’s recognised name among the
Tibetans. There is a good deal to be said for the applicability and picturesqueness of
the title, and its universal adoption by the Tibetans betrays the terrqr with which the
ubiquitous mounted infantry inspired the people along the road. The work done by
Captain Peterson and Lieut. Bailey in the same corps was invaluable.