very little is made here nowadays, and if new gods
are required, they are brought from Lhasa. In the
courtyard, in long lines and seated in perfect silence,
were rows of lamas and acolytes, patiently waiting
with their cups in their hands for their afternoon
meal. In ages they ranged from small boys to old
men; no giggling, no talking, no nudging, but rows
of absolutely silent and motionless figures. This
attitude they maintained, in spite of the fact that they
were certainly devoured with curiosity, for not one had
ever seen an European before. The outer buildings
were uninteresting and bare, and as the courtyard
was adorned by only one or two drooping trees,
the aspect was not inviting. The whole settlement
was enclosed by a high and tower - flanked wall,
a relic of the times when Tibet was overrun by
robbers, before the days of the powerful Lhasa
Government.
I was particularly desirous of obtaining a good
Lhasa terrier, and as perhaps some of my readers do
not know what a Lhasa terrier is, I will roughly
describe him. He is a small iron-grey, long-haired
little dog, with prick ears, eyes covered with hair,
and a rather curly tail, resembling in many respects
a Skye terrier. The monks keep these dogs as pets,
and the Delai Lama is reported to have a kennel of
them in the Pota-la at Lhasa. No care, however, has
been taken to keep the breed pure, so it is exceedingly
difficult to obtain a good specimen. We made several
inquiries on the road as to where we could find one of
these dogs, and were repeatedly told that they could be
obtained at Lhatse. The dzongpon was consequently
informed of our wants, and although he expressed
himself as ignorant of the exact kind required, yet
he would send round all the small dogs in the place. L am a s o f L h a t s e b r in g in g t h e i r D ogs f o r s a l e .