and galleries were certainly fine, but nothing approached
the five tombs in general magnificence. Externally
and internally they were very similar, with the exception
that that of the first Tashi Lama was perhaps the
most beautiful and lavishly decorated. The sarcophagus,
which has a width, depth, and height of about
twenty-five feet, stands in the centre of the room, the
roof of which is of Chinese design and heavily gilded,
whilst the walls are also gilded, closely painted, and
hung with silks and tapestries. The base of the tomb
is square, the back perpendicular, and the front, which
faces the doorway, slopes backwards, rising in tiers
until the summit of the tomb fades away into darkness.
The sarcophagus itself is of gold, covered with beautiful
designs of ornamental work, and studded with turquoises
and precious stones. The turquoises appear to
be all picked stones, arranged in patterns, and in such
profusion as to cover every available spot, including the
polished concrete of the floor. Along the ridges at the
side of the tomb stand exquisite old china vases and
ancient cloissonne ware, whilst golden bowls, each
holding a lighted taper, and vases and cups of the
same material are placed along the front of the base of
the tomb. At the summit and situated in a niche sits
a figure of the dead Tashi Lama with pearls hanging in
festoons from above and around the neck. The ornaments
forbidden to him during life decorate his image
after death. Even here, European goods are represented,
for, horrible to relate, amongst all this richness
and beauty, five coloured glass globes are suspended,
such as are used to decorate Christmas trees. Through
endless passages and halls, past great images of gods
and devils, gorgeously painted walls and ceilings, we
were led by the higher monks dressed in grotesque
hats and clothes. The rear was brought up by a herd
of dirty, perspiring lamas, who thoroughly enjoyed the
exhibition, and even more so the rupees which were
distributed before leaving.
While the wonders of Shigatse were being revealed,
the preparations' for our journey were carried on
apace, and by the third day everything was ready,
with the exception of the long fur coats for the
followers. The Fort commanders had promised the
garments on arrival at Shigatse, but failed to produce
them; a visit consequently was paid to the great
fortress to see what they were up to.
The Dzong, as can be seen from the illustration,
is an immense building, which completely dominates
the town, and presents a very imposing appearance,
apparently impregnable from the outside, though a
closer examination from the interior shows that the
whole place is rotten and rickety. Here the two
commanders reside in comfortable little rooms overlooking
the town, in supreme rule of a non-existent
garrison.
The climb up the steep wooden stairways to the
roof was anything but pleasant, for the dust of centuries
lay thick on every beam and projecting rock, rising
in clouds as we stumbled upwards. I t was well worth
the trouble, however, for the view from the top was
superb.
Nestling close around three sides of the fort,
and many hundreds of feet below, lay the town of
Shigatse, a busy hive of human beings, the people but
little specks on a khaki-coloured background. To the
south-east stretched the beautiful valley which we had
but recently traversed, and to the north lay the
Brahmaputra, a silver streak in the distance, beyond
which again rose great snow-capped mountains. The
town proved to be much larger than we had supposed,