the Tibetans might have yet one more chance of a
peaceable settlement. In April, the Tibetan Government
refusing to even discuss matters, a further
advance was ordered, and after two fights, disastrous
to the Tibetans, Gyantse was occupied.
Again was the Mission left to try and persuade the
Tibetans of the seriousness of the attitude which they
persisted in maintaining. Any chance of a peaceable
conclusion was, however, abruptly brought to an end
by a sudden attack three weeks later on the houses
occupied by the Mission. The assault was easily
repulsed, but the troops at the disposal of Colonel
Younghusband were not strong enough to attack and
occupy the fort of Gyantse, which consequently
remained in possession of the Tibetans, dominating
the British position for nearly two months. Several
short but tough fights occurred in the neighbourhood,
the Tibetans surprising everybody by their courage and
the range of their weapons.
A strong force was then organised in the Chumbi
Valley, and early in July, Gyantse Dzong was captured,
and an advance on Lhasa ordered. To this the
Tibetans offered scarcely any resistance, although
Nature, with continuous rain and lofty passes,
rendered them every assistance. The crossing of the
Brahmaputra was successfully accomplished, and Lhasa
reached by the 3rd August. At first the prospects of
a Treaty being signed in the short time at the disposal
of Colonel Younghusband, the British Commissioner,
were very small, as it had been decided that the Mission
could not winter at Lhasa. By dint of patience and
persuasion, however, the apparently impossible was
accomplished, and the Treaty between Great Britain and
Tibet was formally signed at the Pota-la, the residence
of the fugitive Delai Lama, on the 5th September 1904.
CHAPTER I I
PREPARATIONS AT GYANTSE
In the meantime, enterprising spirits in the force
had been planning journeys to increase our geographical
knowledge of the country. To these trips the Tibetans
offered no objections, but for various reasons two out
of the three were abandoned, to the disappointment of
all interested in geography. The exploration of that
part of the Brahmaputra which lay east of Lhasa,
through the Abor country, to Assam, and Mr. Wilton’s
projected trip from Lhasa to China, were given up, and
the journey which is described in this book alone
remained.
In Article 5 of the Treaty it had been agreed that
trade marts should be opened at Gyantse, Yatung, and
Gartok. The two former places were situated along
the line of advance to Lhasa, and were already well
known, but of Gartok our knowledge was limited in
the extreme. No European had ever visited the place,
and although its position had been fairly accurately
determined by the famous explorer, Pundit Nain Singh,
and his companions, their description left much to the
imagination. It therefore became a matter of importance
that before finally settling on the spot as a trade mart,
all possible information should be obtained as to its
possibilities and suitability to trade requirements, and
hat the routes to and from the various passes on our
rontier should be properly surveyed, so that future