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CHAPTER III.
T H E R E L IE F O F TH E M IS S IO N .
T h e relief of the Mission at Gyantse was the beginning
of the last movement in our operations in Tibet. For
seven weeks, day after day, the bombardment of the
post had continued. It was an ignominious position
for the King’s Commissioner to be placed in, and there
is no doubt that our prestige suffered considerably
during this period ; still, our own absolute confidence
in the successful termination of our operations was
perhaps somewhat reflected in Lhasa, for as soon as
news came of the advance of the troops from the Chumbi
Valley, representatives were actually deputed by the
Tsong-du to negotiate in Gyantse. Colonel Young-
husband had been ordered to send in to the Tibetan
Government a polite ultimatum, the terms of which
were simply that unless negotiations were opened with
an accredited representative of high standing at Gyantse
before the 25th of June, he would be compelled to
proceed to Lhasa and there conduct the necessary
pourparlers. It was generally felt in the post that the
India Office had failed to understand that, from an
Oriental point of view, it was a display of weakness
even to mention the word “ negotiation ” before the
jong, from which we were daily fired upon, had been
completely evacuated and full apologies and reparation
TH E PO L IT IC A L S ITU A T IO N 53
offered for the insults we had suffered so long. But
the orders that Colonel Younghusband received were
explicit. Even while the lumps of lead were viciously
Younghusband’s letter returned unopened.
tearing through the trees of his compound, the British
Commissioner despatched the invitation to negotiate
which he had been instructed to forward. It was carried
into Gyantse, most unwillingly, by a prisoner on the 1st