partial surrender of their claims. As it was, these un-
happy men, the Ta Lama, the Chi-kyap Kenpo— and
here the Yu-tok Shape also— were reduced to the useless
expedient of repeating a parrot-cry without arguments
or authority of any kind. It is Significant that at one
moment during these negotiations of the 19th of July
the Ta Lama, poor old man, burst out with an unveiled
threat. He said, If you will make an agreement
elsewhere we will observe it . if you will go to Lhasa,
and make an agreement there, you may get it signed,
but we will not observe it.”
During one of these meetings a skirmish took place
between Captain Souter and his mounted infantry and
the armed retinue of the delegates who, in defiance of
an agreement, were attempting to escape and give information
of our numbers and composition. The
Tibetan officials were much mortified at the detection
of this scheme.
It was increasingly apparent that Nature had come
to the assistance of the Tibetans’ determination to keep
their country isolated, in more ways than by mere
physical obstacles. How could one carry on negotiations
with such men as these, and in the circumstances in
which we found ourselves, how could we ensure that
relations, even of the friendliest sort, would continue
for even a year after our departure. General Macdonald
made no secret of his personal opinion that the political
ends of the expedition could be better arrived at by
instant negotiation, than by carrying out the letter of
the orders which had been received by Colonel Young-
husband. To this the Colonel could only reply, again
and again, that even were he of Macdonald’s opinion,
which he most emphatically was not, he was still compelled
to carry out the definite orders of the Government
; he was to go to Lhasa, and make a treaty there.
Simla was somewhat amused at this spectacle. As a
Mahommed Isa and a Tibetan official. The latter thought that
Mahommed’s scarlet and gold lace indicated some important person
whose influence was worth securing. He was, as a matter of fact, one
of the chuprassis of the Commissioner. •
rule, it is with the utmost difficulty that a political Commissioner
can restrain the military aspirations of his
escort, and generally has to fall back upon the distinct