lie lias deposited the bone in its final resting-place.
Formerly in the patti of Darma if any onlooker wished
his descendants to note that he desired his own obsequies
to be performed on a magnificent scale, he blew
a trumpet and announced the fact publicly, and woe
betide any heir who failed after that to do all honour
to the spirit of the deceased. A widow throughout
the whole of Bhot leaves off all jewellery for a year
or more, and also the nath or wedding nose-ring.
Such are the death ceremonies of the Tibetans and
Bhotias, and the most superficial observer cannot help
noticing the wonderful resemblance between the two.
Whatever the history of a race, and whatever the
changes in life due to migration and a variation of
surroundings, practices such as these, which relate to
some of the most important events of life, date back
to the early times when the race lived in another
home amongst other neighbours, and a comparison
in these later days, between tribes with kindred customs
and languages, alone can read the page of
history, which otherwise would remain inscrutably
closed.
CHAPTER IX
A TIBETAN TRADE ROUTE
To resume the narrative of our expedition, along the
route from Askot to the Lipu Lekh Pass the very
worst part of the road is the Nirpani, or waterless,
track. This name was given to it many years ago
when there was great difficulty in obtaining water
along the route, as the road was carried over the tops
of mountains and along dangerous cliffs. The present
track, bad as it is, vis a great improvement upon
the old state of affairs. We marched from Tithila,
9000 ft., over a pass of 10,000 ft. to Galagar,
about 8000 ft. in height, where we had to leave
our ponies, as it is quite impossible to convey them
over the Nirpani track quickly. The Bhotias, it
is true, get their ponies across by much holding of
the head and tail, and sometimes by carrying, the
animals being slung on a pole with feet tied, but the
loads have to be removed and the whole proceeding
takes a long time. The path descends sheer down
many hundreds of feet, and the stones of which it is
composed, when in the form of steps, are easy to
travel over, but when they become a confused heap
there is a very little foot-hold for any animal except
sheep and goats, and the incline is frequently one in
one. I have photographed a kid with its mother
on this inhospitable track, the kid having just been
born on the verge of a terrible'precipice, and at one