LH A S A
Penlop, to destroy the British lines of communication,*
and a second messenger was sent in haste to Russia as
the former envoy had not returned.
High officials now began to talk among themselves
almost without concealment of the foolishness of the
Dalai Lama, but no one dared to say much to him.
The news that Russia was getting the worst of it in
Korea had reached Tibet. A report of the fight on
the Karo la was received with consternation in Lhasa,
but the Grand Lama merely observed that it was time
to send forward the Golden Army I and, if necessary,
all the male inhabitants of Lhasa also. The rumour-that
Gyantse jong had been retaken and the British garrison
there exterminated to a man helped to restore public
confidence a little, and about the same time a letter
of sympathy came from Bhutan causing disproportionate
satisfaction. It is significant that the Chinese Amban
refused to believe in the killing of even a couple of
Chinese at Dzara during the Karo la fight, pointing out
that the English had not killed one of his countrymen
throughout the expedition, and bluntly declaring his
belief that these two had been assassinated there by
Tibetans.
Such, then, was the position until the middle of
July, when the Dalai Lama heard that Gyantse jong
had been again recaptured and that the English were
on the point of starting for Lhasa. He lost no time.
Disguised in the plain dirty crimson of a common
monk the mortal body of Tubdan Gyatso fled away
from his ancient residence and hallowed cathedral
* The Paro Penlop ranks second, and consistently opposed the Anglophile tendencies
of the Tongsa Penlop. He is, however, now discredited.
t This is the monkish reserve which supplies a. personal escort , to the Dalai Lama.
It is often loosely used to describe the fighting lamas as a whole.
F L IG H T O F TH E D A L A I L AM A 19
in Lhasa, carrying within him the incarnate soul of
Avalokiteswara. He set his golden feet along the
Nakchu-ka road and never -looked .back till he was
eight days’ journey from the capital. With him went
the Chief Magician, he who many years ago had helped
to place Tubdan upon the throne, and in later years had
foretold only too truly that the “ year of the wood
dragon ” (i.e., 1904) would spell disaster for Tibet.
These two men at the present moment are at Urga,
where a religious jehad is being organised, and it is
quite clear that no finality in our relations with Tibet
can be secured until they are persuaded of the foolishness
of opposing the rights of India, or until, as is far
more likely, they have been quietly put out of the
way by the hierarchs whose ancient régime they have
so rudely offended.
As to the negotiations which we had so far vainly
endeavoured to begin, it should be remembered that
the terms which Colonel Younghusband was instructed
to demand from the Tibetans were in themselves
neither .burdensome nor indeed as heavy as we had a
right to demand. Briefly stated, they included a demand
that the frontier should be rectified, that an
indemnity should be paid of an amount and in a manner
to be subsequently decided, that foreign political influence
should be totally excluded from Tibet and that
no concessions for mines, railways or telegraphs should
be granted without the knowledge and the assent of
the Indian Government. Trade markets were to be established
at Gyantse and Gartok, a place far on the
road from Shigatse to Leh, and another clause permitted
trade from India to pass freely along any existing highway
of commerce. A Resident in Gyantse was to be
vo l. 11. 2*