theodolite was placed in a conspicuous position outside
the tent, and the lama was informed that we were
about to say our prayers, and neither he nor his men
were to come near or disturb us in any way while
at our devotions. Observations in this manner were
taken every day quite openly, and the performance
was always looked upon with reverence by our escort,
and, indeed, by all the Tibetans met with.
We moved on the next day, and fortunately entered
a more favourable valley, where both grass and water
were found, and goa could be seen grazing on the
hillside.
In the evening, much to our surprise, we were
joined by the headman from whom we had parted
two days before; he and the two others with him
had evidently ridden after us to see that we were
not playing them some trick. They made themselves
most agreeable, and gave us a welcome present of
four pounds of butter and ten pounds of suttoo.
The dzongpon also supplied much information about
the country and the people, speaking freely on all
subjects but the tabooed one of gold, and in particular
the rich gold-field of Thok Jalung.
In the morning they all left with the exception of
two, one of whom, unfortunately, was the old villain
of a lama. We did all we knew to make him sick of
the business : he was made to collect fuel, fetch water,
and act as maid-of-all-work, but all to no purpose; we
even went so far as to take his pony and load it up
with our baggage, but he trudged doggedly on behind,
with his little ferret eyes unceasingly fixed on us.
From the description given in his book, I gather
that Dr. Sven Hedin was stopped by the same
guard that turned us north; I am uncertain of the
exact route followed from the point where he was
stopped, but he seems to have traversed the very
valley we were about to enter, and of it writes:
1 1 would rather cross the Desert of Gobi a dozen
times than travel through Tibet once again in winter.
It is impossible to form any conception of what it is
like : it is a veritable via dolorosa.”
The caravan next made a fatiguing march across a
great salt basin, and no water could be found at the
camping-ground. The men had a little of the precious
liquid in their bottles, but the jaded animals had none
whatever, as the water-bags had been carried empty in
order to make their loads as light as possible.
The evening was a cheerless one for everybody, but
Khalik, in particular, was especially depressed : he had,
it seemed, secreted a hoard of Leh bread and sugar,
and had been keeping it against hard times,—now,
when he searched for it at dead of night, he made
the unpleasant discovery that it had been stolen, and
strongly suspected his servile henchman, Mahi Din.
Needless to say, his discomfiture was complete.
Ten miles farther on we came upon a spring of
fresh water, around which grew a little grass; as no
one could tell when water would next be met with, it
was decided to halt.
The weather continued glorious, with a cloudless
sky, a light westerly breeze, and frosty nights;
20 degrees of frost or thereabouts were registered
nightly, and this had a marked effect on the vegetation,
for the grass was withering so fast that it was clear
in another ten days nothing but shrivelled blades
would be left. The early-morning dressing was rather
a trial in this weather.
On the following day the tramp was continued,
across beds of dried-up lakes and over endless tracts
of gravel; not a blade of grass or a drop of water