diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/41635.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/41635.txt | 2992 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 2992 deletions
diff --git a/old/41635.txt b/old/41635.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 23b7683..0000000 --- a/old/41635.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2992 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Among the Tibetans, by Isabella L. Bird - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Among the Tibetans - -Author: Isabella L. Bird - -Illustrator: Edward Whymper - -Release Date: December 16, 2012 [EBook #41635] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AMONG THE TIBETANS *** - - - - -Produced by Suzanne Shell, Asad Razzaki and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -[Illustration: USMAN SHAH] - - - AMONG THE TIBETANS - - Isabella L. Bird - - Illustrated by - Edward Whymper - - - DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC. - Mineola, New York - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - CHAPTER I - - THE START 7 - - CHAPTER II - - SHERGOL AND LEH 40 - - CHAPTER III - - NUBRA 72 - - CHAPTER IV - - MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 101 - - CHAPTER V - - CLIMATE AND NATURAL FEATURES 130 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - Usman Shah _Frontispiece_ - - The Start from Srinagar 13 - - Camp at Gagangair 18 - - Sonamarg 21 - - A hand Prayer-Cylinder 42 - - Tibetan Girl 45 - - Gonpo of Spitak 51 - - Leh 57 - - A Chod-Ten 66 - - A Lama 74 - - Three Gopas 77 - - Some Instruments of Buddhist Worship 86 - - Monastic Buildings at Basgu 93 - - The Yak (_Bos grunniens_) 100 - - A Chang-pa Woman 102 - - Chang-pa Chief 110 - - The Castle of Stok 117 - - First Village in Kulu 125 - - A Tibetan Farm-house 133 - - Lahul Valley 141 - - Gonpo at Kylang 149 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -THE START - - -The Vale of Kashmir is too well known to require description. It is the -'happy hunting-ground' of the Anglo-Indian sportsman and tourist, the -resort of artists and invalids, the home of _pashm_ shawls and -exquisitely embroidered fabrics, and the land of Lalla Rookh. Its -inhabitants, chiefly Moslems, infamously governed by Hindus, are a -feeble race, attracting little interest, valuable to travellers as -'coolies' or porters, and repulsive to them from the mingled cunning and -obsequiousness which have been fostered by ages of oppression. But even -for them there is the dawn of hope, for the Church Missionary Society -has a strong medical and educational mission at the capital, a hospital -and dispensary under the charge of a lady M.D. have been opened for -women, and a capable and upright 'settlement officer,' lent by the -Indian Government, is investigating the iniquitous land arrangements -with a view to a just settlement. - -I left the Panjab railroad system at Rawul Pindi, bought my camp -equipage, and travelled through the grand ravines which lead to Kashmir -or the Jhelum Valley by hill-cart, on horseback, and by house-boat, -reaching Srinagar at the end of April, when the velvet lawns were at -their greenest, and the foliage was at its freshest, and the -deodar-skirted mountains which enclose this fairest gem of the Himalayas -still wore their winter mantle of unsullied snow. Making Srinagar my -headquarters, I spent two months in travelling in Kashmir, half the time -in a native house-boat on the Jhelum and Pohru rivers, and the other -half on horseback, camping wherever the scenery was most attractive. - -By the middle of June mosquitos were rampant, the grass was tawny, a -brown dust haze hung over the valley, the camp-fires of a multitude -glared through the hot nights and misty moonlight of the Munshibagh, -English tents dotted the landscape, there was no mountain, valley, or -plateau, however remote, free from the clatter of English voices and the -trained servility of Hindu servants, and even Sonamarg, at an altitude -of 8,000 feet and rough of access, had capitulated to lawn-tennis. To a -traveller this Anglo-Indian hubbub was intolerable, and I left Srinagar -and many kind friends on June 20 for the uplifted plateaux of Lesser -Tibet. My party consisted of myself, a thoroughly competent servant and -passable interpreter, Hassan Khan, a Panjabi; a _seis_, of whom the less -that is said the better; and Mando, a Kashmiri lad, a common coolie, -who, under Hassan Khan's training, developed into an efficient -travelling servant, and later into a smart _khitmatgar_. - -Gyalpo, my horse, must not be forgotten--indeed, he cannot be, for he -left the marks of his heels or teeth on every one. He was a beautiful -creature, Badakshani bred, of Arab blood, a silver-grey, as light as a -greyhound and as strong as a cart-horse. He was higher in the scale of -intellect than any horse of my acquaintance. His cleverness at times -suggested reasoning power, and his mischievousness a sense of humour. He -walked five miles an hour, jumped like a deer, climbed like a _yak_, was -strong and steady in perilous fords, tireless, hardy, hungry, frolicked -along ledges of precipices and over crevassed glaciers, was absolutely -fearless, and his slender legs and the use he made of them were the -marvel of all. He was an enigma to the end. He was quite untamable, -rejected all dainties with indignation, swung his heels into people's -faces when they went near him, ran at them with his teeth, seized unwary -passers-by by their _kamar bands_, and shook them as a dog shakes a rat, -would let no one go near him but Mando, for whom he formed at first -sight a most singular attachment, but kicked and struck with his -forefeet, his eyes all the time dancing with fun, so that one could -never decide whether his ceaseless pranks were play or vice. He was -always tethered in front of my tent with a rope twenty feet long, which -left him practically free; he was as good as a watchdog, and his antics -and enigmatical savagery were the life and terror of the camp. I was -never weary of watching him, the curves of his form were so exquisite, -his movements so lithe and rapid, his small head and restless little -ears so full of life and expression, the variations in his manner so -frequent, one moment savagely attacking some unwary stranger with a -scream of rage, the next laying his lovely head against Mando's cheek -with a soft cooing sound and a childlike gentleness. When he was -attacking anybody or frolicking, his movements and beauty can only be -described by a phrase of the Apostle James, 'the grace of the fashion of -it.' Colonel Durand, of Gilgit celebrity, to whom I am indebted for many -other kindnesses, gave him to me in exchange for a cowardly, heavy -Yarkand horse, and had previously vainly tried to tame him. His wild -eyes were like those of a seagull. He had no kinship with humanity. - -In addition, I had as escort an Afghan or Pathan, a soldier of the -Maharajah's irregular force of foreign mercenaries, who had been sent to -meet me when I entered Kashmir. This man, Usman Shah, was a stage -ruffian in appearance. He wore a turban of prodigious height ornamented -with poppies or birds' feathers, loved fantastic colours and ceaseless -change of raiment, walked in front of me carrying a big sword over his -shoulder, plundered and beat the people, terrified the women, and was -eventually recognised at Leh as a murderer, and as great a ruffian in -reality as he was in appearance. An attendant of this kind is a mistake. -The brutality and rapacity he exercises naturally make the people -cowardly or surly, and disinclined to trust a traveller so accompanied. - -Finally, I had a Cabul tent, 7 ft. 6 in. by 8 ft. 6 in., weighing, with -poles and iron pins, 75 lbs., a trestle bed and cork mattress, a folding -table and chair, and an Indian _dhurrie_ as a carpet. - -My servants had a tent 5 ft. 6 in. square, weighing only 10 lbs., which -served as a shelter tent for me during the noonday halt. A kettle, -copper pot, and frying pan, a few enamelled iron table equipments, -bedding, clothing, working and sketching materials, completed my outfit. -The servants carried wadded quilts for beds and bedding, and their own -cooking utensils, unwillingness to use those belonging to a Christian -being nearly the last rag of religion which they retained. The only -stores I carried were tea, a quantity of Edwards' desiccated soup, and a -little saccharin. The 'house,' furniture, clothing, &c., were a light -load for three mules, engaged at a shilling a day each, including the -muleteer. Sheep, coarse flour, milk, and barley were procurable at very -moderate prices on the road. - -[Illustration: THE START FROM SRINAGAR] - -Leh, the capital of Ladakh or Lesser Tibet, is nineteen marches from -Srinagar, but I occupied twenty-six days on the journey, and made the -first 'march' by water, taking my house-boat to Ganderbal, a few hours -from Srinagar, _via_ the Mar Nullah and Anchar Lake. Never had this -Venice of the Himalayas, with a broad rushing river for its high street -and winding canals for its back streets, looked so entrancingly -beautiful as in the slant sunshine of the late June afternoon. The light -fell brightly on the river at the Residency stairs where I embarked, on -_perindas_ and state barges, with their painted arabesques, gay -canopies, and 'banks' of thirty and forty crimson-clad, blue-turbaned, -paddling men; on the gay facade and gold-domed temple of the Maharajah's -Palace, on the massive deodar bridges which for centuries have defied -decay and the fierce flood of the Jhelum, and on the quaintly -picturesque wooden architecture and carved brown lattice fronts of the -houses along the swirling waterway, and glanced mirthfully through the -dense leafage of the superb planes which overhang the dark-green water. -But the mercury was 92 deg. in the shade and the sun-blaze terrific, and it -was a relief when the boat swung round a corner, and left the stir of -the broad, rapid Jhelum for a still, narrow, and sharply winding canal, -which intersects a part of Srinagar lying between the Jhelum and the -hill-crowning fort of Hari Parbat. There the shadows were deep, and -chance lights alone fell on the red dresses of the women at the ghats, -and on the shaven, shiny heads of hundreds of amphibious boys who were -swimming and aquatically romping in the canal, which is at once the -sewer and the water supply of the district. - -Several hours were spent in a slow and tortuous progress through scenes -of indescribable picturesqueness--a narrow waterway spanned by -sharp-angled stone bridges, some of them with houses on the top, or by -old brown wooden bridges festooned with vines, hemmed in by lofty stone -embankments into which sculptured stones from ancient temples are -wrought, on the top of which are houses of rich men, fancifully built, -with windows of fretwork of wood, or gardens with kiosks, and lower -embankments sustaining many-balconied dwellings, rich in colour and -fantastic in design, their upper fronts projecting over the water and -supported on piles. There were gigantic poplars wreathed with vines, -great mulberry trees hanging their tempting fruit just out of reach, -huge planes overarching the water, their dense leafage scraping the mat -roof of the boat; filthy ghats thronged with white-robed Moslems -performing their scanty religious ablutions; great grain boats heavily -thatched, containing not only families, but their sheep and poultry; and -all the other sights of a crowded Srinagar waterway, the houses being -characteristically distorted and out of repair. This canal gradually -widens into the Anchar Lake, a reedy mere of indefinite boundaries, the -breeding-ground of legions of mosquitos; and after the tawny twilight -darkened into a stifling night we made fast to a reed bed, not reaching -Ganderbal till late the next morning, where my horse and caravan awaited -me under a splendid plane-tree. - -[Illustration: CAMP AT GAGANGAIR] - -For the next five days we marched up the Sind Valley, one of the most -beautiful in Kashmir from its grandeur and variety. Beginning among -quiet rice-fields and brown agricultural villages at an altitude of -5,000 feet, the track, usually bad and sometimes steep and perilous, -passes through flower-gemmed alpine meadows, along dark gorges above the -booming and rushing Sind, through woods matted with the sweet white -jasmine, the lower hem of the pine and deodar forests which ascend the -mountains to a considerable altitude, past rifts giving glimpses of -dazzling snow-peaks, over grassy slopes dotted with villages, houses, -and shrines embosomed in walnut groves, in sight of the frowning crags -of Haramuk, through wooded lanes and park-like country over which farms -are thinly scattered, over unrailed and shaky bridges, and across -avalanche slopes, till it reaches Gagangair, a dream of lonely beauty, -with a camping-ground of velvety sward under noble plane-trees. Above -this place the valley closes in between walls of precipices and crags, -which rise almost abruptly from the Sind to heights of 8,000 and 10,000 -feet. The road in many places is only a series of steep and shelving -ledges above the raging river, natural rock smoothed and polished into -riskiness by the passage for centuries of the trade into Central Asia -from Western India, Kashmir, and Afghanistan. Its precariousness for -animals was emphasised to me by five serious accidents which occurred in -the week of my journey, one of them involving the loss of the money, -clothing, and sporting kit of an English officer bound for Ladakh for -three months. Above this tremendous gorge the mountains open out, and -after crossing to the left bank of the Sind a sharp ascent brought me to -the beautiful alpine meadow of Sonamarg, bright with spring flowers, -gleaming with crystal streams, and fringed on all sides by deciduous and -coniferous trees, above and among which are great glaciers and the snowy -peaks of Tilail. Fashion has deserted Sonamarg, rough of access, for -Gulmarg, a caprice indicated by the ruins of several huts and of a -church. The pure bracing air, magnificent views, the proximity and -accessibility of glaciers, and the presence of a kind friend who was -'hutted' there for the summer, made Sonamarg a very pleasant halt before -entering upon the supposed severities of the journey to Lesser Tibet. - -[Illustration: SONAMARG] - -The five days' march, though propitious and full of the charm of -magnificent scenery, had opened my eyes to certain unpleasantnesses. I -found that Usman Shah maltreated the villagers, and not only robbed them -of their best fowls, but requisitioned all manner of things in my -name, though I scrupulously and personally paid for everything, beating -the people with his scabbarded sword if they showed any intention of -standing upon their rights. Then I found that my clever factotum, not -content with the legitimate 'squeeze' of ten per cent., was charging me -double price for everything and paying the sellers only half the actual -price, this legerdemain being perpetrated in my presence. He also by -threats got back from the coolies half their day's wages after I had -paid them, received money for barley for Gyalpo, and never bought it, a -fact brought to light by the growing feebleness of the horse, and -cheated in all sorts of mean and plausible ways, though I paid him -exceptionally high wages, and was prepared to 'wink' at a moderate -amount of dishonesty, so long as it affected only myself. It has a -lowering influence upon one to live in a fog of lies and fraud, and the -attempt to checkmate a fraudulent Asiatic ends in extreme discomfiture. - -I left Sonamarg late on a lovely afternoon for a short march through -forest-skirted alpine meadows to Baltal, the last camping-ground in -Kashmir, a grassy valley at the foot of the Zoji La, the first of three -gigantic steps by which the lofty plateaux of Central Asia are attained. -On the road a large affluent of the Sind, which tumbles down a -pine-hung gorge in broad sheets of foam, has to be crossed. My _seis_, a -rogue, was either half-witted or pretended to be so, and, in spite of -orders to the contrary, led Gyalpo upon a bridge at a considerable -height, formed of two poles with flat pieces of stone laid loosely over -them not more than a foot broad. As the horse reached the middle, the -structure gave a sort of turn, there was a vision of hoofs in air and a -gleam of scarlet, and Gyalpo, the hope of the next four months, after -rolling over more than once, vanished among rocks and surges of the -wildest description. He kept his presence of mind, however, recovered -himself, and by a desperate effort got ashore lower down, with legs -scratched and bleeding and one horn of the saddle incurably bent. - -Mr. Maconochie of the Panjab Civil Service, and Dr. E. Neve of the C. M. -S. Medical Mission in Kashmir, accompanied me from Sonamarg over the -pass, and that night Mr. M. talked seriously to Usman Shah on the -subject of his misconduct, and with such singular results that -thereafter I had little cause for complaint. He came to me and said, -'The Commissioner Sahib thinks I give Mem Sahib a great deal of -trouble;' to which I replied in a cold tone, 'Take care you don't give -me any more.' The gist of the Sahib's words was the very pertinent -suggestion that it would eventually be more to his interest to serve me -honestly and faithfully than to cheat me. - -Baltal lies at the feet of a precipitous range, the peaks of which -exceed Mont Blanc in height. Two gorges unite there. There is not a hut -within ten miles. Big camp-fires blazed. A few shepherds lay under the -shelter of a mat screen. The silence and solitude were most impressive -under the frosty stars and the great Central Asian barrier. Sunrise the -following morning saw us on the way up a huge gorge with nearly -perpendicular sides, and filled to a great depth with snow. Then came -the Zoji La, which, with the Namika La and the Fotu La, respectively -11,300, 13,000, and 13,500 feet, are the three great steps from Kashmir -to the Tibetan heights. The two latter passes present no difficulties. -The Zoji La is a thoroughly severe pass, the worst, with the exception -perhaps of the Sasir, on the Yarkand caravan route. The track, cut, -broken, and worn on the side of a wall of rock nearly 2,000 feet in -abrupt elevation, is a series of rough narrow zigzags, rarely, if ever, -wide enough for laden animals to pass each other, composed of broken -ledges often nearly breast high, and shelving surfaces of abraded rock, -up which animals have to leap and scramble as best they may. - -Trees and trailers drooped over the path, ferns and lilies bloomed in -moist recesses, and among myriads of flowers a large blue and cream -columbine was conspicuous by its beauty and exquisite odour. The charm -of the detail tempted one to linger at every turn, and all the more so -because I knew that I should see nothing more of the grace and -bounteousness of Nature till my projected descent into Kulu in the late -autumn. The snow-filled gorge on whose abrupt side the path hangs, the -Zoji La (Pass), is geographically remarkable as being the lowest -depression in the great Himalayan range for 300 miles; and by it, in -spite of infamous bits of road on the Sind and Suru rivers, and -consequent losses of goods and animals, all the traffic of Kashmir, -Afghanistan, and the Western Panjab finds its way into Central Asia. It -was too early in the season, however, for more than a few enterprising -caravans to be on the road. - -The last look upon Kashmir was a lingering one. Below, in shadow, lay -the Baltal camping-ground, a lonely deodar-belted flowery meadow, noisy -with the dash of icy torrents tumbling down from the snowfields and -glaciers upborne by the gigantic mountain range into which we had -penetrated by the Zoji Pass. The valley, lying in shadow at their base, -was a dream of beauty, green as an English lawn, starred with white -lilies, and dotted with clumps of trees which were festooned with red -and white roses, clematis, and white jasmine. Above the hardier -deciduous trees appeared the _Pinus excelsa_, the silver fir, and the -spruce; higher yet the stately grace of the deodar clothed the -hillsides; and above the forests rose the snow mountains of Tilail, pink -in the sunrise. High above the Zoji, itself 11,500 feet in altitude, a -mass of grey and red mountains, snow-slashed and snow-capped, rose in -the dewy rose-flushed atmosphere in peaks, walls, pinnacles, and jagged -ridges, above which towered yet loftier summits, bearing into the -heavenly blue sky fields of unsullied snow alone. The descent on the -Tibetan side is slight and gradual. The character of the scenery -undergoes an abrupt change. There are no more trees, and the large -shrubs which for a time take their place degenerate into thorny bushes, -and then disappear. There were mountains thinly clothed with grass here -and there, mountains of bare gravel and red rock, grey crags, stretches -of green turf, sunlit peaks with their snows, a deep, snow-filled -ravine, eastwards and beyond a long valley filled with a snowfield -fringed with pink primulas; and that was CENTRAL ASIA. - -We halted for breakfast, iced our cold tea in the snow, Mr. M. gave a -final charge to the Afghan, who swore by his Prophet to be faithful, -and I parted from my kind escorts with much reluctance, and started on -my Tibetan journey, with but a slender stock of Hindustani, and two men -who spoke not a word of English. On that day's march of fourteen miles -there is not a single hut. The snowfield extended for five miles, from -ten to seventy feet deep, much crevassed, and encumbered with -avalanches. In it the Dras, truly 'snow-born,' appeared, issuing from a -chasm under a blue arch of ice and snow, afterwards to rage down the -valley, to be forded many times or crossed on snow bridges. After -walking for some time, and getting a bad fall down an avalanche slope, I -mounted Gyalpo, and the clever, plucky fellow frolicked over the snow, -smelt and leapt crevasses which were too wide to be stepped over, put -his forelegs together and slid down slopes like a Swiss mule, and, -though carried off his feet in a ford by the fierce surges of the Dras, -struggled gamely to shore. Steep grassy hills, and peaks with gorges -cleft by the thundering Dras, and stretches of rolling grass succeeded -each other. Then came a wide valley mostly covered with stones brought -down by torrents, a few plots of miserable barley grown by irrigation, -and among them two buildings of round stones and mud, about six feet -high, with flat mud roofs, one of which might be called the village, -and the other the caravanserai. On the village roof were stacks of twigs -and of the dried dung of animals, which is used for fuel, and the whole -female population, adult and juvenile, engaged in picking wool. The -people of this village of Matayan are Kashmiris. As I had an hour to -wait for my tent, the women descended and sat in a circle round me with -a concentrated stare. They asked if I were dumb, and why I wore no -earrings or necklace, their own persons being loaded with heavy -ornaments. They brought children afflicted with skin-diseases, and asked -for ointment, and on hearing that I was hurt by a fall, seized on my -limbs and shampooed them energetically but not undexterously. I prefer -their sociability to the usual chilling aloofness of the people of -Kashmir. - -The Serai consisted of several dark and dirty cells, built round a -blazing piece of sloping dust, the only camping-ground, and under the -entrance two platforms of animated earth, on which my servants cooked -and slept. The next day was Sunday, sacred to a halt; but there was no -fodder for the animals, and we were obliged to march to Dras, following, -where possible, the course of the river of that name, which passes among -highly-coloured and snow-slashed mountains, except in places where it -suddenly finds itself pent between walls of flame-coloured or black -rock, not ten feet apart, through which it boils and rages, forming -gigantic pot-holes. With every mile the surroundings became more -markedly of the Central Asian type. All day long a white, scintillating -sun blazes out of a deep blue, rainless, cloudless sky. The air is -exhilarating. The traveller is conscious of daily-increasing energy and -vitality. There are no trees, and deep crimson roses along torrent beds -are the only shrubs. But for a brief fortnight in June, which chanced to -occur during my journey, the valleys and lower slope present a wonderful -aspect of beauty and joyousness. Rose and pale pink primulas fringe the -margin of the snow, the dainty _Pedicularis tubiflora_ covers moist -spots with its mantle of gold; great yellow and white, and small purple -and white anemones, pink and white dianthus, a very large myosotis, -bringing the intense blue of heaven down to earth, purple orchids by the -water, borage staining whole tracts deep blue, martagon lilies, pale -green lilies veined and spotted with brown, yellow, orange, and purple -vetches, painter's brush, dwarf dandelions, white clover, filling the -air with fragrance, pink and cream asters, chrysanthemums, lychnis, -irises, gentian, artemisia, and a hundred others, form the undergrowth -of millions of tall Umbelliferae and Compositae, many of them -peach-scented and mostly yellow. The wind is always strong, and the -millions of bright corollas, drinking in the sun-blaze which perfects -all too soon their brief but passionate existence, rippled in broad -waves of colour with an almost kaleidoscopic effect. About the eleventh -march from Srinagar, at Kargil, a change for the worse occurs, and the -remaining marches to the capital of Ladakh are over blazing gravel or -surfaces of denuded rock, the singular _Caprifolia horrida_, with its -dark-green mass of wavy ovate leaves on trailing stems, and its fair, -white, anemone-like blossom, and the graceful _Clematis orientalis_, the -only vegetation. - -Crossing a raging affluent of the Dras by a bridge which swayed and -shivered, the top of a steep hill offered a view of a great valley with -branches sloping up into the ravines of a complexity of mountain ranges, -from 18,000 to 21,000 feet in altitude, with glaciers at times -descending as low as 11,000 feet in their hollows. In consequence of -such possibilities of irrigation, the valley is green with irrigated -grass and barley, and villages with flat roofs scattered among the -crops, or perched on the spurs of flame-coloured mountains, give it a -wild cheerfulness. These Dras villages are inhabited by hardy Dards and -Baltis, short, jolly-looking, darker, and far less handsome than the -Kashmiris; but, unlike them, they showed so much friendliness, as well -as interest and curiosity, that I remained with them for two days, -visiting their villages and seeing the 'sights' they had to show me, -chiefly a great Sikh fort, a _yak_ bull, the _zho_, a hybrid, the -interiors of their houses, a magnificent view from a hilltop, and a Dard -dance to the music of Dard reed pipes. In return I sketched them -individually and collectively as far as time allowed, presenting them -with the results, truthful and ugly. I bought a sheep for 2_s._ 3_d._, -and regaled the camp upon it, the three which were brought for my -inspection being ridden by boys astride. - -The evenings in the Dras valley were exquisite. As soon as the sun went -behind the higher mountains, peak above peak, red and snow-slashed, -flamed against a lemon sky, the strong wind moderated into a pure stiff -breeze, bringing up to camp the thunder of the Dras, and the musical -tinkle of streams sparkling in absolute purity. There was no more need -for boiling and filtering. Icy water could be drunk in safety from every -crystal torrent. - -Leaving behind the Dras villages and their fertility, the narrow road -passes through a flaming valley above the Dras, walled in by bare, -riven, snow-patched peaks, with steep declivities of stones, huge -boulders, decaying avalanches, walls and spires of rock, some vermilion, -others pink, a few intense orange, some black, and many plum-coloured, -with a vitrified look, only to be represented by purple madder. Huge red -chasms with glacier-fed torrents, occasional snowfields, intense solar -heat radiating from dry and verdureless rock, a ravine so steep and -narrow that for miles together there is not space to pitch a five-foot -tent, the deafening roar of a river gathering volume and fury as it -goes, rare openings, where willows are planted with lucerne in their -irrigated shade, among which the traveller camps at night, and over all -a sky of pure, intense blue purpling into starry night, were the -features of the next three marches, noteworthy chiefly for the exchange -of the thundering Dras for the thundering Suru, and for some bad bridges -and infamous bits of road before reaching Kargil, where the mountains -swing apart, giving space to several villages. Miles of alluvium are -under irrigation there, poplars, willows, and apricots abound, and on -some damp sward under their shade at a great height I halted for two -days to enjoy the magnificence of the scenery and the refreshment of -the greenery. These Kargil villages are the capital of the small State -of Purik, under the Governorship of Baltistan or Little Tibet, and are -chiefly inhabited by Ladakhis who have become converts to Islam. Racial -characteristics, dress, and manners are everywhere effaced or toned down -by Mohammedanism, and the chilling aloofness and haughty bearing of -Islam were very pronounced among these converts. - -The daily routine of the journey was as follows: By six a.m. I sent on a -coolie carrying the small tent and lunch basket to await me half-way. -Before seven I started myself, with Usman Shah in front of me, leaving -the servants to follow with the caravan. On reaching the shelter tent I -halted for two hours, or till the caravan had got a good start after -passing me. At the end of the march I usually found the tent pitched on -irrigated ground, near a hamlet, the headman of which provided milk, -fuel, fodder, and other necessaries at fixed prices. 'Afternoon tea' was -speedily prepared, and dinner, consisting of roast meat and boiled rice, -was ready two hours later. After dinner I usually conversed with the -headman on local interests, and was in bed soon after eight. The -servants and muleteers fed and talked till nine, when the sound of their -'hubble-bubbles' indicated that they were going to sleep, like most -Orientals, with their heads closely covered with their wadded quilts. -Before starting each morning the account was made out, and I paid the -headman personally. - -The vagaries of the Afghan soldier, when they were not a cause of -annoyance, were a constant amusement, though his ceaseless changes of -finery and the daily growth of his baggage awakened grave suspicions. -The swashbuckler marched four miles an hour in front of me with a -swinging military stride, a large scimitar in a heavily ornamented -scabbard over his shoulder. Tanned socks and sandals, black or white -leggings wound round from ankle to knee with broad bands of orange or -scarlet serge, white cambric knickerbockers, a white cambric shirt, with -a short white muslin frock with hanging sleeves and a leather girdle -over it, a red-peaked cap with a dark-blue _pagri_ wound round it, with -one end hanging over his back, earrings, a necklace, bracelets, and a -profusion of rings, were his ordinary costume; and in his girdle he wore -a dirk and a revolver, and suspended from it a long tobacco pouch made -of the furry skin of some animal, a large leather purse, and etceteras. -As the days went on he blossomed into blue and white muslin with a -scarlet sash, wore a gold embroidered peak and a huge white muslin -turban, with much change of ornaments, and appeared frequently with a -great bunch of poppies or a cluster of crimson roses surmounting all. -His headgear was colossal. It and the head together must have been fully -a third of his total height. He was a most fantastic object, and very -observant and skilful in his attentions to me; but if I had known what I -afterwards knew, I should have hesitated about taking these long lonely -marches with him for my sole attendant. Between Hassan Khan and this -Afghan violent hatred and jealousy existed. - -I have mentioned roads, and my road as the great caravan route from -Western India into Central Asia. This is a fitting time for an -explanation. The traveller who aspires to reach the highlands of Tibet -from Kashmir cannot be borne along in a carriage or hill-cart. For much -of the way he is limited to a foot pace, and if he has regard to his -horse he walks down all rugged and steep descents, which are many, and -dismounts at most bridges. By 'roads' must be understood bridle-paths, -worn by traffic alone across the gravelly valleys, but elsewhere -constructed with great toil and expense, as Nature compels the -road-maker to follow her lead, and carry his track along the narrow -valleys, ravines, gorges, and chasms which she has marked out for him. -For miles at a time this road has been blasted out of precipices from -1,000 feet to 3,000 feet in depth, and is merely a ledge above a raging -torrent, the worst parts, chiefly those round rocky projections, being -'scaffolded,' i.e. poles are lodged horizontally among the crevices of -the cliff, and the roadway of slabs, planks, and brushwood, or branches -and sods, is laid loosely upon them. This track is always amply wide -enough for a loaded beast, but in many places, when two caravans meet, -the animals of one must give way and scramble up the mountain-side, -where foothold is often perilous, and always difficult. In passing a -caravan near Kargil my servant's horse was pushed over the precipice by -a loaded mule and drowned in the Suru, and at another time my Afghan -caused the loss of a baggage mule of a Leh caravan by driving it off the -track. To scatter a caravan so as to allow me to pass in solitary -dignity he regarded as one of his functions, and on one occasion, on a -very dangerous part of the road, as he was driving heavily laden mules -up the steep rocks above, to their imminent peril and the distraction of -their drivers, I was obliged to strike up his sword with my alpenstock -to emphasise my abhorrence of his violence. The bridges are unrailed, -and many of them are made by placing two or more logs across the stream, -laying twigs across, and covering these with sods, but often so scantily -that the wild rush of the water is seen below. Primitive as these -bridges are, they involve great expense and difficulty in the bringing -of long poplar logs for great distances along narrow mountain tracks by -coolie labour, fifty men being required for the average log. The Ladakhi -roads are admirable as compared with those of Kashmir, and are being -constantly improved under the supervision of H. B. M.'s Joint -Commissioner in Leh. - -Up to Kargil the scenery, though growing more Tibetan with every march, -had exhibited at intervals some traces of natural verdure; but beyond, -after leaving the Suru, there is not a green thing, and on the next -march the road crosses a lofty, sandy plateau, on which the heat was -terrible--blazing gravel and a blazing heaven, then fiery cliffs and -scorched hillsides, then a deep ravine and the large village of Paskim -(dominated by a fort-crowned rock), and some planted and irrigated -acres; then a narrow ravine and magnificent scenery flaming with colour, -which opens out after some miles on a burning chaos of rocks and sand, -mountain-girdled, and on some remarkable dwellings on a steep slope, -with religious buildings singularly painted. This is Shergol, the first -village of Buddhists, and there I was 'among the Tibetans.' - - - - -CHAPTER II - -SHERGOL AND LEH - - -The chaos of rocks and sand, walled in by vermilion and orange -mountains, on which the village of Shergol stands, offered no facilities -for camping; but somehow the men managed to pitch my tent on a steep -slope, where I had to place my trestle bed astride an irrigation -channel, down which the water bubbled noisily, on its way to keep alive -some miserable patches of barley. At Shergol and elsewhere fodder is so -scarce that the grain is not cut, but pulled up by the roots. - -The intensely human interest of the journey began at that point. Not -greater is the contrast between the grassy slopes and deodar-clothed -mountains of Kashmir and the flaming aridity of Lesser Tibet, than -between the tall, dark, handsome natives of the one, with their -statuesque and shrinking women, and the ugly, short, squat, -yellow-skinned, flat-nosed, oblique-eyed, uncouth-looking people of the -other. The Kashmiris are false, cringing, and suspicious; the Tibetans -truthful, independent, and friendly, one of the pleasantest of peoples. -I 'took' to them at once at Shergol, and terribly faulty though their -morals are in some respects, I found no reason to change my good opinion -of them in the succeeding four months. - -The headman or _go-pa_ came to see me, introduced me to the objects of -interest, which are a _gonpo_, or monastery, built into the rock, with a -brightly coloured front, and three _chod-tens_, or relic-holders, -painted blue, red, and yellow, and daubed with coarse arabesques and -representations of deities, one having a striking resemblance to Mr. -Gladstone. The houses are of mud, with flat roofs; but, being summer, -many of them were roofless, the poplar rods which support the mud having -been used for fuel. Conical stacks of the dried excreta of animals, the -chief fuel of the country, adorned the roofs, but the general aspect was -ruinous and poor. The people all invited me into their dark and dirty -rooms, inhabited also by goats, offered tea and cheese, and felt my -clothes. They looked the wildest of savages, but they are not. No house -was so poor as not to have its 'family altar,' its shelf of wooden gods, -and table of offerings. A religious atmosphere pervades Tibet, and gives -it a singular sense of novelty. Not only were there _chod-tens_ and a -_gonpo_ in this poor place, and family altars, but prayer-wheels, i.e. -wooden cylinders filled with rolls of paper inscribed with prayers, -revolving on sticks, to be turned by passers-by, inscribed cotton -bannerets on poles planted in cairns, and on the roofs long sticks, to -which strips of cotton bearing the universal prayer, _Aum mani padne -hun_ (O jewel of the lotus-flower), are attached. As these wave in the -wind the occupants of the house gain the merit of repeating this -sentence. - -[Illustration: A HAND PRAYER-CYLINDER] - -The remaining marches to Leh, the capital of Lesser Tibet, were full of -fascination and novelty. Everywhere the Tibetans were friendly and -cordial. In each village I was invited to the headman's house, and taken -by him to visit the chief inhabitants; every traveller, lay and -clerical, passed by with the cheerful salutation _Tzu_, asked me where I -came from and whither I was going, wished me a good journey, admired -Gyalpo, and when he scaled rock ladders and scrambled gamely through -difficult torrents, cheered him like Englishmen, the general jollity and -cordiality of manners contrasting cheerily with the chilling aloofness -of Moslems. - -The irredeemable ugliness of the Tibetans produced a deeper impression -daily. It is grotesque, and is heightened, not modified, by their -costume and ornament. They have high cheekbones, broad flat noses -without visible bridges, small, dark, oblique eyes, with heavy lids and -imperceptible eyebrows, wide mouths, full lips, thick, big, projecting -ears, deformed by great hoops, straight black hair nearly as coarse as -horsehair, and short, square, ungainly figures. The faces of the men are -smooth. The women seldom exceed five feet in height, and a man is tall -at five feet four. - -The male costume is a long, loose, woollen coat with a girdle, -trousers, under-garments, woollen leggings, and a cap with a turned-up -point over each ear. The girdle is the depository of many things dear to -a Tibetan--his purse, rude knife, heavy tinder-box, tobacco pouch, pipe, -distaff, and sundry charms and amulets. In the capacious breast of his -coat he carries wool for spinning--for he spins as he walks--balls of -cold barley dough, and much besides. He wears his hair in a pigtail. The -women wear short, big-sleeved jackets, shortish, full-plaited skirts, -tight trousers a yard too long, the superfluous length forming folds -above the ankle, a sheepskin with the fur outside hangs over the back, -and on gala occasions a sort of drapery is worn over the usual dress. -Felt or straw shoes and many heavy ornaments are worn by both sexes. -Great _ears_ of brocade, lined and edged with fur and attached to the -hair, are worn by the women. Their hair is dressed once a month in many -much-greased plaits, fastened together at the back by a long tassel. The -head-dress is a strip of cloth or leather, sewn over with large -turquoises, carbuncles, and silver ornaments. This hangs in a point over -the brow, broadens over the top of the head, and tapers as it reaches -the waist behind. The ambition of every Tibetan girl is centred in this -singular headgear. Hoops in the ears, necklaces, amulets, clasps, -bangles of brass or silver, and various implements stuck in the girdle -and depending from it, complete a costume pre-eminent in ugliness. The -Tibetans are dirty. They wash once a year, and, except for festivals, -seldom change their clothes till they begin to drop off. They are -healthy and hardy, even the women can carry weights of sixty pounds over -the passes; they attain extreme old age; their voices are harsh and -loud, and their laughter is noisy and hearty. - -[Illustration: TIBETAN GIRL] - -After leaving Shergol the signs of Buddhism were universal and imposing, -and the same may be said of the whole of the inhabited part of Lesser -Tibet. Colossal figures of Shakya Thubba (Buddha) are carved on faces of -rock, or in wood, stone, or gilded copper sit on lotus thrones in -endless calm near villages of votaries. _Chod-tens_ from twenty to a -hundred feet in height, dedicated to 'holy' men, are scattered over -elevated ground, or in imposing avenues line the approaches to hamlets -and _gonpos_. There are also countless _manis_, dykes of stone from six -to sixteen feet in width and from twenty feet to a fourth of a mile in -length, roofed with flattish stones, inscribed by the _lamas_ (monks) -with the phrase _Aum_, &c., and purchased and deposited by those who -wish to obtain any special benefit from the gods, such as a safe -journey. Then there are prayer-mills, sometimes 150 in a row, which -revolve easily by being brushed by the hand of the passer-by, larger -prayer-cylinders which are turned by pulling ropes, and others larger -still by water-power. The finest of the latter was in a temple -overarching a perennial torrent, and was said to contain 20,000 -repetitions of the mystic phrase, the fee to the worshipper for each -revolution of the cylinder being from 1_d._ to 1_s._ 4_d._, according to -his means or urgency. - -The glory and pride of Ladak and Nubra are the _gonpos_, of which the -illustrations give a slight idea. Their picturesqueness is absolutely -enchanting. They are vast irregular piles of fantastic buildings, almost -invariably crowning lofty isolated rocks or mountain spurs, reached by -steep, rude rock staircases, _chod-tens_ below and battlemented towers -above, with temples, domes, bridges over chasms, spires, and scaffolded -projections gleaming with gold, looking, as at Lamayuru, the outgrowth -of the rock itself. The outer walls are usually whitewashed, and red, -yellow, and brown wooden buildings, broad bands of red and blue on the -whitewash, tridents, prayer-mills, _yaks_' tails, and flags on poles -give colour and movement, while the jangle of cymbals, the ringing of -bells, the incessant beating of big drums and gongs, and the braying at -intervals of six-foot silver horns, attest the ritualistic activities of -the communities within. The _gonpos_ contain from two up to three -hundred _lamas_. These are not cloistered, and their duties take them -freely among the people, with whom they are closely linked, a younger -son in every family being a monk. Every act in trade, agriculture, and -social life needs the sanction of sacerdotalism, whatever exists of -wealth is in the _gonpos_, which also have a monopoly of learning, and -11,000 monks, linked with the people, yet ruling all affairs of life and -death and beyond death, are connected closely by education, tradition, -and authority with Lhassa. - -Passing along faces of precipices and over waterless plateaux of blazing -red gravel--'waste places,' truly--the journey was cheered by the -meeting of red and yellow _lamas_ in companies, each _lama_ twirling his -prayer-cylinder, abbots, and _skushoks_ (the latter believed to be -incarnations of Buddha) with many retainers, or gay groups of priestly -students, intoning in harsh and high-pitched monotones, _Aum mani padne -hun_. And so past fascinating monastic buildings, through crystal -torrents rushing over red rock, through flaming ravines, on rock ledges -by scaffolded paths, camping in the afternoons near friendly villages on -oases of irrigated alluvium, and down the Wanla water by the steepest -and narrowest cleft ever used for traffic, I reached the Indus, crossed -it by a wooden bridge where its broad, fierce current is narrowed by -rocks to a width of sixty-five feet, and entered Ladak proper. A -picturesque fort guards the bridge, and there travellers inscribe their -names and are reported to Leh. I camped at Khalsi, a mile higher, but -returned to the bridge in the evening to sketch, if I could, the grim -nudity and repulsive horror of the surrounding mountains, attended only -by Usman Shah. A few months earlier, this ruffian was sent down from Leh -with six other soldiers and an officer to guard the fort, where they -became the terror of all who crossed the bridge by their outrageous -levies of blackmail. My swashbuckler quarrelled with the officer over a -disreputable affair, and one night stabbed him mortally, induced his six -comrades to plunge their knives into the body, sewed it up in a blanket, -and threw it into the Indus, which disgorged it a little lower down. The -men were all arrested and marched to Srinagar, where Usman turned -'king's evidence.' - -The remaining marches were alongside of the tremendous granite ranges -which divide the Indus from its great tributary, the Shayok. Colossal -scenery, desperate aridity, tremendous solar heat, and an atmosphere -highly rarefied and of nearly intolerable dryness, were the chief -characteristics. At these Tibetan altitudes, where the valleys exceed -11,000 feet, the sun's rays are even more powerful than on the 'burning -plains of India.' The day wind, rising at 9 a.m., and only falling near -sunset, blows with great heat and force. The solar heat at noon was from -120 deg. to 130 deg., and at night the mercury frequently fell below the -freezing point. I did not suffer from the climate, but in the case of -most Europeans the air passages become irritated, the skin cracks, and -after a time the action of the heart is affected. The hair when released -stands out from the head, leather shrivels and splits, horn combs break -to pieces, food dries up, rapid evaporation renders water-colour -sketching nearly impossible, and tea made with water from fifteen to -twenty below the boiling-point of 212 degrees, is flavourless and flat. - -[Illustration: GONPO OF SPITAK] - -After a delightful journey of twenty-five days I camped at Spitak, among -the _chod-tens_ and _manis_ which cluster round the base of a lofty and -isolated rock, crowned with one of the most striking monasteries in -Ladak, and very early the next morning, under a sun of terrific -fierceness, rode up a five-mile slope of blazing gravel to the goal of -my long march. Even at a short distance off, the Tibetan capital can -scarcely be distinguished from the bare, ribbed, scored, jagged, -vermilion and rose-red mountains which nearly surround it, were it -not for the palace of the former kings or Gyalpos of Ladak, a huge -building attaining ten storeys in height, with massive walls sloping -inwards, while long balconies and galleries, carved projections of brown -wood, and prominent windows, give it a singular picturesqueness. It can -be seen for many miles, and dwarfs the little Central Asian town which -clusters round its base. - -Long lines of _chod-tens_ and _manis_ mark the approach to Leh. Then -come barley fields and poplar and willow plantations, bright streams are -crossed, and a small gateway, within which is a colony of very poor -Baltis, gives access to the city. In consequence of 'the vigilance of -the guard at the bridge of Khalsi,' I was expected, and was met at the -gate by the wazir's _jemadar_, or head of police, in artistic attire, -with _spahis_ in apricot turbans, violet _chogas_, and green leggings, -who cleared the way with spears, Gyalpo frolicking as merrily and as -ready to bite, and the Afghan striding in front as firmly, as though -they had not marched for twenty-five days through the rugged passes of -the Himalayas. In such wise I was escorted to a shady bungalow of three -rooms, in the grounds of H. B. M.'s Joint Commissioner, who lives at -Leh during the four months of the 'caravan season,' to assist in -regulating the traffic and to guard the interests of the numerous -British subjects who pass through Leh with merchandise. For their -benefit also, the Indian Government aids in the support of a small -hospital, open, however, to all, which, with a largely attended -dispensary, is under the charge of a Moravian medical missionary. - -Just outside the Commissioner's grounds are two very humble whitewashed -dwellings, with small gardens brilliant with European flowers; and in -these the two Moravian missionaries, the only permanent European -residents in Leh, were living, Mr. Redslob and Dr. Karl Marx, with their -wives. Dr. Marx was at his gate to welcome me. - -To these two men, especially the former, I owe a debt of gratitude which -in no shape, not even by the hearty acknowledgment of it, can ever be -repaid, for they died within a few days of each other, of an epidemic, -last year, Dr. Marx and a new-born son being buried in one grave. For -twenty-five years Mr. Redslob, a man of noble physique and intellect, a -scholar and linguist, an expert botanist and an admirable artist, -devoted himself to the welfare of the Tibetans, and though his great aim -was to Christianize them, he gained their confidence so thoroughly by -his virtues, kindness, profound Tibetan scholarship, and manliness, that -he was loved and welcomed everywhere, and is now mourned for as the best -and truest friend the people ever had. - -I had scarcely finished breakfast when he called; a man of great height -and strong voice, with a cheery manner, a face beaming with kindness, -and speaking excellent English. Leh was the goal of my journey, but Mr. -Redslob came with a proposal to escort me over the great passes to the -northward for a three weeks' journey to Nubra, a district formed of the -combined valleys of the Shayok and Nubra rivers, tributaries of the -Indus, and abounding in interest. Of course I at once accepted an offer -so full of advantages, and the performance was better even than the -promise. - -Two days were occupied in making preparations, but afterwards I spent a -fortnight in my tent at Leh, a city by no means to be passed over -without remark, for, though it and the region of which it is the capital -are very remote from the thoughts of most readers, it is one of the -centres of Central Asian commerce. There all traders from India, -Kashmir, and Afghanistan must halt for animals and supplies on their way -to Yarkand and Khotan, and there also merchants from the mysterious city -of Lhassa do a great business in brick tea and in Lhassa wares, chiefly -ecclesiastical. - -[Illustration: LEH] - -The situation of Leh is a grand one, the great Kailas range, with its -glaciers and snowfields, rising just behind it to the north, its passes -alone reaching an altitude of nearly 18,000 feet; while to the south, -across a gravelly descent and the Indus Valley, rise great red ranges -dominated by snow-peaks exceeding 21,000 feet in altitude. The centre of -Leh is a wide bazaar, where much polo is played in the afternoons; and -above this the irregular, flat-roofed, many-balconied houses of the town -cluster round the palace and a gigantic _chod-ten_ alongside it. The -rugged crest of the rock on a spur of which the palace stands is crowned -by the fantastic buildings of an ancient _gonpo_. Beyond the crops and -plantations which surround the town lies a flaming desert of gravel or -rock. The architectural features of Leh, except of the palace, are mean. -A new mosque glaring with vulgar colour, a treasury and court of -justice, the wazir's bungalow, a Moslem cemetery, and Buddhist cremation -grounds, in which each family has its separate burning place, are all -that is noteworthy. The narrow alleys, which would be abominably dirty -if dirt were possible in a climate of such intense dryness, house a very -mixed population, in which the Moslem element is always increasing, -partly owing to the renewal of that proselytising energy which is making -itself felt throughout Asia, and partly to the marriages of Moslem -traders with Ladaki women, who embrace the faith of their husbands and -bring up their families in the same. - -On my arrival few of the shops in the great _place_, or bazaar, were -open, and there was no business; but a few weeks later the little desert -capital nearly doubled its population, and during August the din and -stir of trade and amusements ceased not by day or night, and the -shifting scenes were as gay in colouring and as full of variety as could -be desired. - -Great caravans _en route_ for Khotan, Yarkand, and even Chinese Tibet -arrived daily from Kashmir, the Panjab, and Afghanistan, and stacked -their bales of goods in the _place_; the Lhassa traders opened shops in -which the specialties were brick tea and instruments of worship; -merchants from Amritsar, Cabul, Bokhara, and Yarkand, stately in costume -and gait, thronged the bazaar and opened bales of costly goods in -tantalising fashion; mules, asses, horses, and _yaks_ kicked, squealed, -and bellowed; the dissonance of bargaining tongues rose high; there were -mendicant monks, Indian fakirs, Moslem dervishes, Mecca pilgrims, -itinerant musicians, and Buddhist ballad howlers; bold-faced women with -creels on their backs brought in lucerne; Ladakis, Baltis, and Lahulis -tended the beasts, and the wazir's _jemadar_ and gay _spahis_ moved -about among the throngs. In the midst of this picturesque confusion, the -short, square-built, Lhassa traders, who face the blazing sun in heavy -winter clothing, exchange their expensive tea for Nubra and Baltistan -dried apricots, Kashmir saffron, and rich stuffs from India; and -merchants from Yarkand on big Turkestan horses offer hemp, which is -smoked as opium, and Russian trifles and dress goods, under cloudless -skies. With the huge Kailas range as a background, this great rendezvous -of Central Asian traffic has a great fascination, even though moral -shadows of the darkest kind abound. - -On the second morning, while I was taking the sketch of Usman Shah which -appears as the frontispiece, he was recognised both by the Joint -Commissioner and the chief of police as a mutineer and murderer, and was -marched out of Leh. I was asked to look over my baggage, but did not. I -had trusted him, he had been faithful in his way, and later I found that -nothing was missing. He was a brutal ruffian, one of a band of -irregulars sent by the Maharajah of Kashmir to garrison the fort at Leh. -From it they used to descend on the town, plunder the bazaar, insult the -women, take all they wanted without payment, and when one of their -number was being tried for some offence, they dragged the judge out of -court and beat him! After holding Leh in terror for some time the -British Commissioner obtained their removal. It was, however, at the -fort at the Indus bridge, as related before, that the crime of murder -was committed. Still there was something almost grand in the defiant -attitude of the fantastic swashbuckler, as, standing outside the -bungalow, he faced the British Commissioner, to him the embodiment of -all earthly power, and the chief of police, and defied them. Not an inch -would he stir till the wazir gave him a coolie to carry his baggage. He -had been acquitted of the murder, he said, 'and though I killed the man, -it was according to the custom of my country--he gave me an insult which -could only be wiped out in blood!' The guard dared not touch him, and he -went to the wazir, demanded a coolie, and got one! - -Our party left Leh early on a glorious morning, travelling light, Mr. -Redslob, a very learned Lhassa monk, named Gergan, Mr. R.'s servant, my -three, and four baggage horses, with two drivers engaged for the -journey. The great Kailas range was to be crossed, and the first day's -march up long, barren, stony valleys, without interest, took us to a -piece of level ground, with a small semi-subterranean refuge on which -there was barely room for two tents, at the altitude of the summit of -Mont Blanc. For two hours before we reached it the men and animals -showed great distress. Gyalpo stopped every few yards, gasping, with -blood trickling from his nostrils, and turned his head so as to look at -me, with the question in his eyes, What does this mean? Hassan Khan was -reeling from vertigo, but would not give in; the _seis_, a creature -without pluck, was carried in a blanket slung on my tent poles, and even -the Tibetans suffered. I felt no inconvenience, but as I unsaddled -Gyalpo I was glad that there was no more work to do! This -'mountain-sickness,' called by the natives _ladug_, or 'pass-poison,' is -supposed by them to be the result of the odour or pollen of certain -plants which grow on the passes. Horses and mules are unable to carry -their loads, and men suffer from vertigo, vomiting, violent headache and -bleeding from the nose, mouth, and ears, as well as prostration of -strength, sometimes complete, and occasionally ending fatally. - -After a bitterly cold night I was awakened at dawn by novel sounds, -gruntings, and low, resonant bellowing round my tent, and the grey light -revealed several _yaks_ (the _Bos grunniens_, the Tibetan ox), the pride -of the Tibetan highlands. This magnificent animal, though not exceeding -an English shorthorn cow in height, looks gigantic, with his thick -curved horns, his wild eyes glaring from under a mass of curls, his long -thick hair hanging to his fetlocks, and his huge bushy tail. He is -usually black or tawny, but the tail is often white, and is the length -of his long hair. The nose is fine and has a look of breeding as well as -power. He only flourishes at altitudes exceeding 12,000 feet. Even after -generations of semi-domestication he is very wild, and can only be -managed by being led with a rope attached to a ring in the nostrils. He -disdains the plough, but condescends to carry burdens, and numbers of -the Ladak and Nubra people get their living by carrying goods for the -traders on his broad back over the great passes. His legs are very -short, and he has a sensible way of measuring distance with his eyes and -planting his feet, which enables him to carry loads where it might be -supposed that only a goat could climb. He picks up a living anyhow, in -that respect resembling the camel. - -He has an uncertain temper, and is not favourably disposed towards his -rider. Indeed, my experience was that just as one was about to mount him -he usually made a lunge at one with his horns. Some of my _yak_ steeds -shied, plunged, kicked, executed fantastic movements on the ledges of -precipices, knocked down their leaders, bellowed defiance, and rushed -madly down mountain sides, leaping from boulder to boulder, till they -landed me among their fellows. The rush of a herd of bellowing _yaks_ at -a wild gallop, waving their huge tails, is a grand sight. - -My first _yak_ was fairly quiet, and looked a noble steed, with my -Mexican saddle and gay blanket among rather than upon his thick black -locks. His back seemed as broad as that of an elephant, and with his -slow, sure, resolute step, he was like a mountain in motion. We took -five hours for the ascent of the Digar Pass, our loads and some of us on -_yaks_, some walking, and those who suffered most from the 'pass-poison' -and could not sit on _yaks_ were carried. A number of Tibetans went up -with us. It was a new thing for a European lady to travel in Nubra, and -they took a friendly interest in my getting through all right. The -dreary stretches of the ascent, though at first white with _edelweiss_, -of which the people make their tinder, are surmounted for the most part -by steep, short zigzags of broken stone. The heavens were dark with -snow-showers, the wind was high and the cold severe, and gasping horses, -and men prostrate on their faces unable to move, suggested a -considerable amount of suffering; but all safely reached the summit, -17,930 feet, where in a snowstorm the guides huzzaed, praised their -gods, and tucked rag streamers into a cairn. The loads were replaced on -the horses, and over wastes of ice, across snowfields margined by broad -splashes of rose-red primulas, down desert valleys and along irrigated -hillsides, we descended 3,700 feet to the village of Digar in Nubra, -where under a cloudless sky the mercury stood at 90 deg.! - -[Illustration: A CHOD-TEN] - -Upper and Lower Nubra consist of the valleys of the Nubra and Shayok -rivers. These are deep, fierce, variable streams, which have buried the -lower levels under great stretches of shingle, patched with jungles of -_hippophae_ and tamarisk, affording cover for innumerable wolves. Great -lateral torrents descend to these rivers, and on alluvial ridges formed -at the junctions are the villages with their pleasant surroundings of -barley, lucerne, wheat, with poplar and fruit trees, and their -picturesque _gonpos_ crowning spurs of rock above them. The first view -of Nubra is not beautiful. Yellow, absolutely barren mountains, cleft by -yellow gorges, and apparently formed of yellow gravel, the huge rifts in -their sides alone showing their substructure of rock, look as if they -had never been finished, or had been finished so long that they had -returned to chaos. These hem in a valley of grey sand and shingle, -threaded by a greyish stream. From the second view point mountains are -seen descending on a pleasanter part of the Shayok valley in grey, -yellow, or vermilion masses of naked rock, 7,000 and 8,000 feet in -height, above which rise snow-capped peaks sending out fantastic spurs -and buttresses, while the colossal walls of rock are cleft by rifts as -colossal. The central ridge between the Nubra and Upper Shayok valleys -is 20,000 feet in altitude, and on this are superimposed five peaks of -rock, ascertained by survey to be from 24,000 to 25,000 feet in height, -while at one point the eye takes in a nearly vertical height of 14,000 -feet from the level of the Shayok River! The Shayok and Nubra valleys -are only five and four miles in width respectively at their widest -parts. The early winter traffic chiefly follows along river beds, then -nearly dry, while summer caravans have to labour along difficult tracks -at great heights, where mud and snow avalanches are common, to climb -dangerous rock ladders, and to cross glaciers and the risky fords of the -Shayok. Nubra is similar in character to Ladak, but it is hotter and -more fertile, the mountains are loftier, the _gonpos_ are more numerous, -and the people are simpler, more religious, and more purely Tibetan. Mr. -Redslob loved Nubra, and as love begets love he received a hearty -welcome at Digar and everywhere else. - -The descent to the Shayok River gave us a most severe day of twelve -hours. The river had covered the usual track, and we had to take to -torrent beds and precipice ledges, I on one _yak_, and my tent on -another. In years of travel I have never seen such difficulties. -Eventually at dusk Mr. Redslob, Gergan, the servants, and I descended -on a broad shingle bed by the rushing Shayok; but it was not till dawn -on the following day that, by means of our two _yaks_ and the muleteers, -our baggage and food arrived, the baggage horses being brought down -unloaded, with men holding the head and tail of each. Our saddle horses, -which we led with us, were much cut by falls. Gyalpo fell fully twenty -feet, and got his side laid open. The baggage horses, according to their -owners, had all gone over one precipice, which delayed them five hours. - -Below us lay two leaky scows, and eight men from Sati, on the other side -of the Shayok, are pledged to the Government to ferry travellers; but no -amount of shouting and yelling, or burning of brushwood, or even firing, -brought them to the rescue, though their pleasant lights were only a -mile off. Snow fell, the wind was strong and keen, and our tent-pegs -were only kept down by heavy stones. Blankets in abundance were laid -down, yet failed to soften the 'paving stones' on which I slept that -night! We had tea and rice, but our men, whose baggage was astray on the -mountains, were without food for twenty-two hours, positively refusing -to eat our food or cook fresh rice in our cooking pots! To such an -extent has Hindu caste-feeling infected Moslems! The disasters of that -day's march, besides various breakages, were, two servants helpless from -'pass-poison' and bruises; a Ladaki, who had rolled over a precipice, -with a broken arm, and Gergan bleeding from an ugly scalp wound, also -from a fall. - -By eight o'clock the next morning the sun was high and brilliant, the -snows of the ravines under its fierce heat were melting fast, and the -river, roaring hoarsely, was a mad rush of grey rapids and grey foam; -but three weeks later in the season, lower down, its many branches are -only two feet deep. This Shayok, which cannot in any way be -circumvented, is the great obstacle on this Yarkand trade route. -Travellers and their goods make the perilous passage in the scow, but -their animals swim, and are often paralysed by the ice-cold water and -drowned. My Moslem servants, white-lipped and trembling, committed -themselves to Allah on the river bank, and the Buddhists worshipped -their sleeve idols. The _gopa_, or headman of Sati, a splendid fellow, -who accompanied us through Nubra, and eight wild-looking, half-naked -satellites, were the Charons of that Styx. They poled and paddled with -yells of excitement; the rapids seized the scow, and carried her -broadside down into hissing and raging surges; then there was a plash, a -leap of maddened water half filling the boat, a struggle, a whirl, -violent efforts, and a united yell, and far down the torrent we were in -smooth water on the opposite shore. The ferrymen recrossed, pulled our -saddle horses by ropes into the river, the _gopa_ held them; again the -scow and her frantic crew, poling, paddling, and yelling, were hurried -broadside down, and as they swept past there were glimpses above and -among the foam-crested surges of the wild-looking heads and drifting -forelocks of two grey horses swimming desperately for their lives,--a -splendid sight. They landed safely, but of the baggage animals one was -sucked under the boat and drowned, and as the others refused to face the -rapids, we had to obtain other transport. A few days later the scow, -which was brought up in pieces from Kashmir on coolies' backs at a cost -of four hundred rupees, was dashed to pieces! - -A halt for Sunday in an apricot grove in the pleasant village of Sati -refreshed us all for the long marches which followed, by which we -crossed the Sasir Pass, full of difficulties from snow and glaciers, -which extend for many miles, to the Dipsang Plain, the bleakest and -dreariest of Central Asian wastes, from which the gentle ascent of the -Karakorum Pass rises, and returned, varying our route slightly, to the -pleasant villages of the Nubra valley. Everywhere Mr. Redslob's Tibetan -scholarship, his old-world courtesy, his kindness and adaptability, and -his medical skill, ensured us a welcome the heartiness of which I cannot -describe. The headmen and elders of the villages came to meet us when we -arrived, and escorted us when we left; the monasteries and houses with -the best they contained were thrown open to us; the men sat round our -camp-fires at night, telling stories and local gossip, and asking -questions, everything being translated to me by my kind guide, and so we -actually lived 'among the Tibetans.' - - - - -CHAPTER III - -NUBRA - - -In order to visit Lower Nubra and return to Leh we were obliged to cross -the great fords of the Shayok at the most dangerous season of the year. -This transit had been the bugbear of the journey ever since news reached -us of the destruction of the Sati scow. Mr. Redslob questioned every man -we met on the subject, solemn and noisy conclaves were held upon it -round the camp-fires, it was said that the 'European woman' and her -'spider-legged horse' could never get across, and for days before we -reached the stream, the _chupas_, or government water-guides, made -nightly reports to the village headmen of the state of the waters, which -were steadily rising, the final verdict being that they were only just -practicable for strong horses. To delay till the waters fell was -impossible. Mr. Redslob had engagements in Leh, and I was already -somewhat late for the passage of the lofty passes between Tibet and -British India before the winter, so we decided on crossing with every -precaution which experience could suggest. - -At Lagshung, the evening before, the Tibetans made prayers and offerings -for a day cloudy enough to keep the water down, but in the morning from -a cloudless sky a scintillating sun blazed down like a magnesium light, -and every glacier and snowfield sent its tribute torrent to the Shayok. -In crossing a stretch of white sand the solar heat was so fierce that -our European skins were blistered through our clothing. We halted at -Lagshung, at the house of a friendly _zemindar_, who pressed upon me the -loan of a big Yarkand horse for the ford, a kindness which nearly proved -fatal; and then by shingle paths through lacerating thickets of the -horrid _Hippophae rhamnoides_, we reached a _chod-ten_ on the shingly -bank of the river, where the Tibetans renewed their prayers and -offerings, and the final orders for the crossing were issued. We had -twelve horses, carrying only quarter loads each, all led; the servants -were mounted, 'water-guides' with ten-foot poles sounded the river -ahead, one led Mr. Redslob's horse (the rider being bare-legged) in -front of mine with a long rope, and two more led mine, while the _gopas_ -of three villages and the _zemindar_ steadied my horse against the -stream. The water-guides only wore girdles, and with elf-locks and -pigtails streaming from their heads, and their uncouth yells and wild -gesticulations, they looked true river-demons. - -[Illustration: A LAMA] - -The Shayok presented an expanse of eight branches and a main stream, -divided by shallows and shingle banks, the whole a mile and a half in -width. On the brink the _chupas_ made us all drink good draughts of the -turbid river water, 'to prevent giddiness,' they said, and they added -that I must not think them rude if they dashed water at my face -frequently with the same object. Hassan Khan, and Mando, who was livid -with fright, wore dark-green goggles, that they might not see the -rapids. In the second branch the water reached the horses' bodies, and -my animal tottered and swerved. There were bursts of wild laughter, not -merriment but excitement, accompanied by yells as the streams grew -fiercer, a loud chorus of _Kabadar! Sharbaz!_ ('Caution!' 'Well done!') -was yelled to encourage the horses, and the boom and hiss of the Shayok -made a wild accompaniment. Gyalpo, for whose legs of steel I longed, -frolicked as usual, making mirthful lunges at his leader when the pair -halted. Hassan Khan, in the deepest branch, shakily said to me, 'I not -afraid, Mem Sahib.' During the hour spent in crossing the eight -branches, I thought that the risk had been exaggerated, and that -giddiness was the chief peril. - -But when we halted, cold and dripping, on the shingle bank of the main -stream I changed my mind. A deep, fierce, swirling rapid, with a calmer -depth below its farther bank, and fully a quarter of a mile wide, was -yet to be crossed. The business was serious. All the _chupas_ went up -and down, sounding, long before they found a possible passage. All loads -were raised higher, the men roped their soaked clothing on their -shoulders, water was dashed repeatedly at our faces, girths were -tightened, and then, with shouts and yells, the whole caravan plunged -into deep water, strong, and almost ice-cold. Half an hour was spent in -that devious ford, without any apparent progress, for in the dizzy swirl -the horses simply seemed treading the water backwards. Louder grew the -yells as the torrent raged more hoarsely, the chorus of _kabadar_ grew -frantic, the water was up to the men's armpits and the seat of my -saddle, my horse tottered and swerved several times, the nearing shore -presented an abrupt bank underscooped by the stream. There was a deeper -plunge, an encouraging shout, and Mr. Redslob's strong horse leapt the -bank. The _gopas_ encouraged mine; he made a desperate effort, but fell -short and rolled over backwards into the Shayok with his rider under -him. A struggle, a moment of suffocation, and I was extricated by strong -arms, to be knocked down again by the rush of the water, to be again -dragged up and hauled and hoisted up the crumbling bank. I escaped with -a broken rib and some severe bruises, but the horse was drowned. Mr. -Redslob, who had thought that my life could not be saved, and the -Tibetans were so distressed by the accident that I made very light of -it, and only took one day of rest. The following morning some men and -animals were carried away, and afterwards the ford was impassable for a -fortnight. Such risks are among the amenities of the great trade route -from India into Central Asia! - -[Illustration: THREE GOPAS] - -The Lower Nubra valley is wilder and narrower than the Upper, its -apricot orchards more luxuriant, its wolf-haunted _hippophae_ and -tamarisk thickets more dense. Its villages are always close to ravines, -the mouths of which are filled with _chod-tens_, _manis_, prayer-wheels, -and religious buildings. Access to them is usually up the stony beds of -streams over-arched by apricots. The camping-grounds are apricot -orchards. The apricot foliage is rich, and the fruit small but -delicious. The largest fruit tree I saw measured nine feet six inches in -girth six feet from the ground. Strangers are welcome to eat as much of -the fruit as they please, provided that they return the stones to the -proprietor. It is true that Nubra exports dried apricots, and the women -were splitting and drying the fruit on every house roof, but the special -_raison d'etre_ of the tree is the clear, white, fragrant, and highly -illuminating oil made from the kernels by the simple process of crushing -them between two stones. In every _gonpo_ temple a silver bowl holding -from four to six gallons is replenished annually with this -almond-scented oil for the ever-burning light before the shrine of -Buddha. It is used for lamps, and very largely in cookery. Children, -instead of being washed, are rubbed daily with it, and on being weaned -at the age of four or five, are fed for some time, or rather crammed, -with balls of barley-meal made into a paste with it. - -At Hundar, a superbly situated village, which we visited twice, we were -received at the house of Gergan the monk, who had accompanied us -throughout. He is a _zemindar_, and the large house in which he made us -welcome stands in his own patrimony. Everything was prepared for us. The -mud floors were swept, cotton quilts were laid down on the balconies, -blue cornflowers and marigolds, cultivated for religious ornament, were -in all the rooms, and the women were in gala dress and loaded with -coarse jewellery. Right hearty was the welcome. Mr. Redslob loved, and -therefore was loved. The Tibetans to him were not 'natives,' but -brothers. He drew the best out of them. Their superstitions and beliefs -were not to him 'rubbish,' but subjects for minute investigation and -study. His courtesy to all was frank and dignified. In his dealings he -was scrupulously just. He was intensely interested in their interests. -His Tibetan scholarship and knowledge of Tibetan sacred literature gave -him almost the standing of an abbot among them, and his medical skill -and knowledge, joyfully used for their benefit on former occasions, had -won their regard. So at Hundar, as everywhere else, the elders came out -to meet us and cut the apricot branches away on our road, and the silver -horns of the _gonpo_ above brayed a dissonant welcome. Along the Indus -valley the servants of Englishmen beat the Tibetans, in the Shayok and -Nubra valleys the Yarkand traders beat and cheat them, and the women are -shy with strangers, but at Hundar they were frank and friendly with me, -saying, as many others had said, 'We will trust any one who comes with -the missionary.' - -Gergan's home was typical of the dwellings of the richer cultivators and -landholders. It was a large, rambling, three-storeyed house, the lower -part of stone, the upper of huge sun-dried bricks. It was adorned with -projecting windows and brown wooden balconies. Fuel--the dried excreta -of animals--is too scarce to be used for any but cooking purposes, and -on these balconies in the severe cold of winter the people sit to imbibe -the warm sunshine. The rooms were large, ceiled with peeled poplar rods, -and floored with split white pebbles set in clay. There was a temple on -the roof, and in it, on a platform, were life-size images of Buddha, -seated in eternal calm, with his downcast eyes and mild Hindu face, the -thousand-armed Chan-ra-zigs (the great Mercy), Jam-pal-yangs (the -Wisdom), and Chag-na-dorje (the Justice). In front on a table or altar -were seven small lamps, burning apricot oil, and twenty small brass -cups, containing minute offerings of rice and other things, changed -daily. There were prayer-wheels, cymbals, horns and drums, and a -prayer-cylinder six feet high, which it took the strength of two men to -turn. On a shelf immediately below the idols were the brazen sceptre, -bell, and thunderbolt, a brass lotus blossom, and the spouted brass -flagon decorated with peacocks' feathers, which is used at baptisms, and -for pouring holy water upon the hands at festivals. In houses in which -there is not a roof temple the best room is set apart for religious use -and for these divinities, which are always surrounded with musical -instruments and symbols of power, and receive worship and offerings -daily, Tibetan Buddhism being a religion of the family and household. In -his family temple Gergan offered gifts and thanks for the deliverances -of the journey. He had been assisting Mr. Redslob for two years in the -translation of the New Testament, and had wept over the love and -sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. He had even desired that his son -should receive baptism and be brought up as a Christian, but for -himself he 'could not break with custom and his ancestral creed.' - -In the usual living-room of the family a platform, raised only a few -inches, ran partly round the wall. In the middle of the floor there was -a clay fireplace, with a prayer-wheel and some clay and brass cooking -pots upon it. A few shelves, fire-bars for roasting barley, a wooden -churn, and some spinning arrangements were the furniture. A number of -small dark rooms used for sleeping and storage opened from this, and -above were the balconies and reception rooms. Wooden posts supported the -roofs, and these were wreathed with lucerne, the first fruits of the -field. Narrow, steep staircases in all Tibetan houses lead to the family -rooms. In winter the people live below, alongside of the animals and -fodder. In summer they sleep in loosely built booths of poplar branches -on the roof. Gergan's roof was covered, like others at the time, to the -depth of two feet, with hay, i.e. grass and lucerne, which are wound -into long ropes, experience having taught the Tibetans that their scarce -fodder is best preserved thus from breakage and waste. I bought hay by -the yard for Gyalpo. - -Our food in this hospitable house was simple--apricots, fresh, or dried -and stewed with honey; _zho's_ milk, curds and cheese, sour cream, peas, -beans, balls of barley dough, barley porridge, and 'broth of abominable -things.' _Chang_, a dirty-looking beer made from barley, was offered -with each meal, and tea frequently, but I took my own 'on the sly.' I -have mentioned a churn as part of the 'plenishings' of the living-room. -In Tibet the churn is used for making tea! I give the recipe. 'For six -persons. Boil a teacupful of tea in three pints of water for ten minutes -with a heaped dessert-spoonful of soda. Put the infusion into the chum -with one pound of butter and a small tablespoonful of salt. Churn until -as thick as cream.' Tea made after this fashion holds the second place -to _chang_ in Tibetan affections. The butter according to our thinking -is always rancid, the mode of making it is uncleanly, and it always has -a rank flavour from the goatskin in which it was kept. Its value is -enhanced by age. I saw skins of it forty, fifty, and even sixty years -old, which were very highly prized, and would only be opened at some -special family festival or funeral. - -During the three days of our visits to Hundar both men and women wore -their festival dresses, and apparently abandoned most of their ordinary -occupations in our honour. The men were very anxious that I should be -'amused,' and made many grotesque suggestions on the subject. 'Why is -the European woman always writing or sewing?' they asked. 'Is she very -poor, or has she made a vow?' Visits to some of the neighbouring -monasteries were eventually proposed, and turned out most interesting. - -The monastery of Deskyid, to which we made a three days' expedition, is -from its size and picturesque situation the most imposing in Nubra. -Built on a majestic spur of rock rising on one side 2,000 feet -perpendicularly from a torrent, the spur itself having an altitude of -11,000 feet, with red peaks, snow-capped, rising to a height of over -20,000 feet behind the vast irregular pile of red, white, and yellow -temples, towers, storehouses, cloisters, galleries, and balconies, -rising for 300 feet one above another, hanging over chasms, built out on -wooden buttresses, and surmounted with flags, tridents, and _yaks'_ -tails, a central tower or keep dominating the whole, it is perhaps the -most picturesque object I have ever seen, well worth the crossing of the -Shayok fords, my painful accident, and much besides. It looks -inaccessible, but in fact can be attained by rude zigzags of a thousand -steps of rock, some natural, others roughly hewn, getting worse and -worse as they rise higher, till the later zigzags suggest the -difficulties of the ascent of the Great Pyramid. The day was fearfully -hot, 99 deg. in the shade, and the naked, shining surfaces of purple rock -with a metallic lustre radiated heat. My 'gallant grey' took me up -half-way--a great feat--and the Tibetans cheered and shouted -'_Sharbaz!_' ('Well done!') as he pluckily leapt up the great slippery -rock ledges. After I dismounted, any number of willing hands hauled and -helped me up the remaining horrible ascent, the rugged rudeness of which -is quite indescribable. The inner entrance is a gateway decorated with a -_yak's_ head and many Buddhist emblems. High above, on a rude gallery, -fifty monks were gathered with their musical instruments. As soon as the -_Kan-po_ or abbot, Punt-sog-sogman (the most perfect Merit), received us -at the gate, the monkish orchestra broke forth in a tornado of sound of -a most tremendous and thrilling quality, which was all but overwhelming, -as the mountain echoes took up and prolonged the sound of fearful blasts -on six-foot silver horns, the bellowing thunder of six-foot drums, the -clash of cymbals, and the dissonance of a number of monster gongs. It -was not music, but it was sublime. The blasts on the horns are to -welcome a great personage, and such to the monks who despised his -teaching was the devout and learned German missionary. Mr. Redslob -explained that I had seen much of Buddhism in Ceylon and Japan, and -wished to see their temples. So with our train of _gopas_, _zemindar_, -peasants, and muleteers, we mounted to a corridor full of _lamas_ in -ragged red dresses, yellow girdles, and yellow caps, where we were -presented with plates of apricots, and the door of the lowest of the -seven temples heavily grated backwards. - -[Illustration: SOME INSTRUMENTS OF BUDDHIST WORSHIP] - -The first view, and indeed the whole view of this temple of _Wrath_ or -_Justice_, was suggestive of a frightful _Inferno_, with its rows of -demon gods, hideous beyond Western conception, engaged in torturing -writhing and bleeding specimens of humanity. Demon masks of ancient -lacquer hung from the pillars, naked swords gleamed in motionless hands, -and in a deep recess whose 'darkness' was rendered 'visible' by one -lamp, was that indescribable horror the executioner of the Lord of Hell, -his many brandished arms holding instruments of torture, and before him -the bell, the thunderbolt and sceptre, the holy water, and the baptismal -flagon. Our joss-sticks fumed on the still air, monks waved censers, and -blasts of dissonant music woke the semi-subterranean echoes. In this -temple of Justice the younger _lamas_ spend some hours daily in the -supposed contemplation of the torments reserved for the unholy. In the -highest temple, that of Peace, the summer sunshine fell on Shakya Thubba -and the Buddhist triad seated in endless serenity. The walls were -covered with frescoes of great _lamas_, and a series of alcoves, each -with an image representing an incarnation of Buddha, ran round the -temple. In a chapel full of monstrous images and piles of medallions -made of the ashes of 'holy' men, the sub-abbot was discoursing to the -acolytes on the religious classics. In the chapel of meditations, among -lighted incense sticks, monks seated before images were telling their -beads with the object of working themselves into a state of ecstatic -contemplation (somewhat resembling a certain hypnotic trance), for there -are undoubtedly devout _lamas_, though the majority are idle and unholy. -It must be understood that all Tibetan literature is 'sacred,' though -some of the volumes of exquisite calligraphy on parchment, which for our -benefit were divested of their silken and brocaded wrappings, contain -nothing better than fairy tales and stories of doubtful morality, which -are recited by the _lamas_ to the accompaniment of incessant cups of -_chang_, as a religious duty when they visit their 'flocks' in the -winter. - -The Deskyid _gonpo_ contains 150 _lamas_, all of whom have been educated -at Lhassa. A younger son in every household becomes a monk, and -occasionally enters upon his vocation as an acolyte pupil as soon as -weaned. At the age of thirteen these acolytes are sent to study at -Lhassa for five or seven years, their departure being made the occasion -of a great village feast, with several days of religious observances. -The close connection with Lhassa, especially in the case of the yellow -_lamas_, gives Nubra Buddhism a singular interest. All the larger -_gonpos_ have their prototype in Lhassa, all ceremonial has originated -in Lhassa, every instrument of worship has been consecrated in Lhassa, -and every _lama_ is educated in the learning only to be obtained at -Lhassa. Buddhism is indeed the most salient feature of Nubra. There are -_gonpos_ everywhere, the roads are lined by miles of _chod-tens_, -_manis_, and prayer-mills, and flags inscribed with sacred words in -Sanskrit flutter from every roof. There are processions of red and -yellow _lamas_; every act in trade, agriculture, and social life needs -the sanction of sacerdotalism; whatever exists of wealth is in the -_gonpos_, which also have a monopoly of learning, and 11,000 monks -closely linked with the laity, yet ruling all affairs of life and death -and beyond death, are all connected by education, tradition, and -authority with Lhassa. - -We remained long on the blazing roof of the highest tower of the -_gonpo_, while good Mr. Redslob disputed with the abbot 'concerning the -things pertaining to the kingdom of God.' The monks standing round -laughed sneeringly. They had shown a little interest, Mr. R. said, on -his earlier visits. The abbot accepted a copy of the Gospel of St. John. -'St. Matthew,' he observed, 'is very laughable reading.' Blasts of wild -music and the braying of colossal horns honoured our departure, and our -difficult descent to the apricot groves of Deskyid. On our return to -Hundar the grain was ripe on Gergan's fields. The first ripe ears were -cut off, offered to the family divinity, and were then bound to the -pillars of the house. In the comparatively fertile Nubra valley the -wheat and barley are cut, not rooted up. While they cut the grain the -men chant, 'May it increase, We will give to the poor, we will give to -the _lamas_,' with every stroke. They believe that it can be made to -multiply both under the sickle and in the threshing, and perform many -religious rites for its increase while it is in sheaves. After eight -days the corn is trodden out by oxen on a threshing-floor renewed every -year. After winnowing with wooden forks, they make the grain into a -pyramid, insert a sacred symbol, and pile upon it the threshing -instruments and sacks, erecting an axe on the apex with its blade turned -to the west, as that is the quarter from which demons are supposed to -come. In the afternoon they feast round it, always giving a portion to -the axe, saying, 'It is yours, it belongs not to me.' At dusk they pour -it into the sacks again, chanting, 'May it increase.' But these are not -removed to the granary until late at night, at an hour when the hands of -the demons are too much benumbed by the nightly frost to diminish the -store. At the beginning of every one of these operations the presence of -_lamas_ is essential, to announce the auspicious moment, and conduct -religious ceremonies. They receive fees, and are regaled with abundant -_chang_ and the fat of the land. - -In Hundar, as elsewhere, we were made very welcome in all the houses. I -have described the dwelling of Gergan. The poorer peasants occupy -similar houses, but roughly built, and only two-storeyed, and the floors -are merely clay. In them also the very numerous lower rooms are used for -cattle and fodder only, while the upper part consists of an inner or -winter room, an outer or supper room, a verandah room, and a family -temple. Among their rude plenishings are large stone corn chests like -sarcophagi, stone bowls from Baltistan, cauldrons, cooking pots, a -tripod, wooden bowls, spoons, and dishes, earthen pots, and _yaks_' and -sheep's packsaddles. The garments of the household are kept in long -wooden boxes. - -Family life presents some curious features. In the disposal in marriage -of a girl, her eldest brother has more 'say' than the parents. The -eldest son brings home the bride to his father's house, but at a given -age the old people are 'shelved,' i.e. they retire to a small house, -which may be termed a 'jointure house,' and the eldest son assumes the -patrimony and the rule of affairs. I have not met with a similar custom -anywhere in the East. It is difficult to speak of Tibetan life, with all -its affection and jollity, as '_family life_,' for Buddhism, which -enjoins monastic life, and usually celibacy along with it, on eleven -thousand out of a total population of a hundred and twenty thousand, -farther restrains the increase of population within the limits of -sustenance by inculcating and rigidly upholding the system of polyandry, -permitting marriage only to the eldest son, the heir of the land, while -the bride accepts all his brothers as inferior or subordinate husbands, -thus attaching the whole family to the soil and family roof-tree, the -children being regarded legally as the property of the eldest son, who -is addressed by them as 'Big Father,' his brothers receiving the title -of 'Little Father.' The resolute determination, on economic as well as -religious grounds, not to abandon this ancient custom, is the most -formidable obstacle in the way of the reception of Christianity by the -Tibetans. The women cling to it. They say, 'We have three or four men to -help us instead of one,' and sneer at the dulness and monotony of -European, monogamous life! A woman said to me, 'If I had only one -husband, and he died, I should be a widow; if I have two or three I am -never a widow!' The word 'widow' is with them a term of reproach, and is -applied abusively to animals and men. Children are brought up to be very -obedient to fathers and mother, and to take great care of little ones -and cattle. Parental affection is strong. Husbands and wives beat each -other, but separation usually follows a violent outbreak of this kind. -It is the custom for the men and women of a village to assemble when a -bride enters the house of her husbands, each of them presenting her with -three rupees. The Tibetan wife, far from spending these gifts on -personal adornment, looks ahead, contemplating possible contingencies, -and immediately hires a field, the produce of which is her own, and -which accumulates year after year in a separate granary, so that she may -not be portionless in case she leaves her husband! - -[Illustration: MONASTIC BUILDINGS AT BASGU] - -It was impossible not to become attached to the Nubra people, we lived -so completely among them, and met with such unbounded goodwill. Feasts -were given in our honour, every _gonpo_ was open to us, monkish blasts -on colossal horns brayed out welcomes, and while nothing could exceed -the helpfulness and alacrity of kindness shown by all, there was not a -thought or suggestion of _backsheesh_. The men of the villages always -sat by our camp-fires at night, friendly and jolly, but never obtrusive, -telling stories, discussing local news and the oppressions exercised by -the Kashmiri officials, the designs of Russia, the advance of the -Central Asian Railway, and what they consider as the weakness of the -Indian Government in not annexing the provinces of the northern -frontier. Many of their ideas and feelings are akin to ours, and a -mutual understanding is not only possible, but inevitable[1]. - -[1] Mr. Redslob said that when on different occasions he was smitten by -heavy sorrows, he felt no difference between the Tibetan feeling and -expression of sympathy and that of Europeans. A stronger testimony to -the effect produced by his twenty-five years of loving service could -scarcely be given than our welcome in Nubra. During the dangerous -illness which followed, anxious faces thronged his humble doorway as -early as break of day, and the stream of friendly inquiries never ceased -till sunset, and when he died the people of Ladak and Nubra wept and -'made a great mourning for him,' as for their truest friend. - -Industry in Nubra is the condition of existence, and both sexes work -hard enough to give a great zest to the holidays on religious festival -days. Whether in the house or journeying the men are never seen without -the distaff. They weave also, and make the clothes of the women and -children! The people are all cultivators, and make money also by -undertaking the transit of the goods of the Yarkand traders over the -lofty passes. The men plough with the _zho_, or hybrid _yak_, and the -women break the clods and share in all other agricultural operations. -The soil, destitute of manure, which is dried and hoarded for fuel, -rarely produces more than tenfold. The 'three acres and a cow' is with -them four acres of alluvial soil to a family on an average, with 'runs' -for _yaks_ and sheep on the mountains. The farms, planted with apricot -and other fruit trees, a prolific loose-grained barley, wheat, peas, and -lucerne, are oases in the surrounding deserts. The people export apricot -oil, dried apricots, sheep's wool, heavy undyed woollens, a coarse cloth -made from _yaks'_ hair, and _pashm_, the under fleece of the shawl goat. -They complained, and I think with good reason, of the merciless -exactions of the Kashmiri officials, but there were no evidences of -severe poverty, and not one beggar was seen. - -It was not an easy matter to get back to Leh. The rise of the Shayok -made it impossible to reach and return by the Digar Pass, and the -alternative route over the Kharzong glacier continued for some time -impracticable--that is, it was perfectly smooth ice. At length the news -came that a fall of snow had roughened its surface. A number of men -worked for two days at scaffolding a path, and with great difficulty, -and the loss of one _yak_ from a falling rock, a fruitful source of -fatalities in Tibet, we reached Khalsar, where with great regret we -parted with _Tse-ring-don-drub_ (Life's purpose fulfilled), the _gopa_ -of Sati, whose friendship had been a real pleasure, and to whose courage -and promptitude, in Mr. Redslob's opinion, I owed my rescue from -drowning. Two days of very severe marching and long and steep ascents -brought us to the wretched hamlet of Kharzong Lar-sa, in a snowstorm, at -an altitude higher than the summit of Mont Blanc. The servants were all -ill of 'pass-poison,' and crept into a cave along with a number of big -Tibetan mastiffs, where they enjoyed the comfort of semi-suffocation -till the next morning, Mr. R. and I, with some willing Tibetan helpers, -pitching our own tents. The wind was strong and keen, and with the -mercury down at 15 deg. Fahrenheit it was impossible to do anything but to -go to bed in the early afternoon, and stay there till the next day. Mr. -Redslob took a severe chill, which produced an alarming attack of -pleurisy, from the effects of which he never fully recovered. - -We started on a grim snowy morning, with six _yaks_ carrying our baggage -or ridden by ourselves, four led horses, and a number of Tibetans, -several more having been sent on in advance to cut steps in the glacier -and roughen them with gravel. Within certain limits the ground grows -greener as one ascends, and we passed upwards among primulas, asters, a -large blue myosotis, gentians, potentillas, and great sheets of -_edelweiss_. At the glacier foot we skirted a deep green lake on snow -with a glorious view of the Kharzong glacier and the pass, a nearly -perpendicular wall of rock, bearing up a steep glacier and a snowfield -of great width and depth, above which tower pinnacles of naked rock. It -presented to all appearance an impassable barrier rising 2,500 feet -above the lake, grand and awful in the dazzling whiteness of the -new-fallen snow. Thanks to the ice steps our _yaks_ took us over in four -hours without a false step, and from the summit, a sharp ridge 17,500 -feet in altitude, we looked our last on grimness, blackness, and snow, -and southward for many a weary mile to the Indus valley lying in -sunshine and summer. Fully two dozen carcases of horses newly dead lay -in cavities of the glacier. Our animals were ill of 'pass-poison,' and -nearly blind, and I was obliged to ride my _yak_ into Leh, a severe -march of thirteen hours, down miles of crumbling zigzags, and then among -villages of irrigated terraces, till the grand view of the Gyalpo's -palace, with its air-hung _gonpo_ and clustering _chod-tens_, and of the -desert city itself, burst suddenly upon us, and our benumbed and -stiffened limbs thawed in the hot sunshine. I pitched my tent in a -poplar grove for a fortnight, near the Moravian compounds and close to -the travellers' bungalow, in which is a British Postal Agency, with a -Tibetan postmaster who speaks English, a Christian, much trusted and -respected, named Joldan, in whose intelligence, kindness, and friendship -I found both interest and pleasure. - -[Illustration: THE YAK (_Bos grunniens_)] - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -MANNERS AND CUSTOMS - - -Joldan, the Tibetan British postmaster in Leh, is a Christian of -spotless reputation. Every one places unlimited confidence in his -integrity and truthfulness, and his religious sincerity has been -attested by many sacrifices. He is a Ladaki, and the family property was -at Stok, a few miles from Leh. He was baptized in Lahul at twenty-three, -his father having been a Christian. He learned Urdu, and was for ten -years mission schoolmaster in Kylang, but returned to Leh a few years -ago as postmaster. His 'ancestral dwelling' at Stok was destroyed by -order of the wazir, and his property confiscated, after many -unsuccessful efforts had been made to win him back to Buddhism. -Afterwards he was detained by the wazir, and compelled to serve as a -sepoy, till Mr. Heyde went to the council and obtained his release. His -house in Leh has been more than once burned by incendiaries. But he -pursues a quiet, even course, brings up his family after the best -Christian traditions, refuses Buddhist suitors for his daughters, -unobtrusively but capably helps the Moravian missionaries, supports his -family by steady industry, although of noble birth, and asks nothing of -any one. His 'good morning' and 'good night,' as he daily passed my tent -with clockwork regularity, were full of cheery friendliness; he gave -much useful information about Tibetan customs, and his ready helpfulness -greatly facilitated the difficult arrangements for my farther journey. - -[Illustration: A CHANG-PA WOMAN] - -The Leh, which I had left so dull and quiet, was full of strangers, -traffic, and noise. The neat little Moravian church was filled by a -motley crowd each Sunday, in which the few Christians were -distinguishable by their clean faces and clothes and their devout air; -and the Medical Mission Hospital and Dispensary, which in winter have an -average attendance of only a hundred patients a month, were daily -thronged with natives of India and Kashmir, Baltis, Yarkandis, Dards, -and Tibetans. In my visits with Dr. Marx I observed, what was confirmed -by four months' experience of the Tibetan villagers, that rheumatism, -inflamed eyes and eyelids, and old age are the chief Tibetan maladies. -Some of the Dards and Baltis were lepers, and the natives of India -brought malarial fever, dysentery, and other serious diseases. The -hospital, which is supported by the Indian Government, is most -comfortable, a haven of rest for those who fall sick by the way. The -hospital assistants are intelligent, thoroughly kind-hearted young -Tibetans, who, by dint of careful drilling and an affectionate desire to -please 'the teacher with the medicine box,' have become fairly -trustworthy. They are not Christians. - -In the neat dispensary at 9 a.m. a gong summons the patients to the -operating room for a short religious service. Usually about fifty were -present, and a number more, who had some curiosity about 'the way,' but -did not care to be seen at Christian worship, hung about the doorways. -Dr. Marx read a few verses from the Gospels, explaining them in a homely -manner, and concluded with the Lord's Prayer. Then the out-patients were -carefully and gently treated, leprous limbs were bathed and anointed, -the wards were visited at noon and again at sunset, and in the -afternoons operations were performed with the most careful antiseptic -precautions, which are supposed to be used for the purpose of keeping -away evil spirits from the wounds! The Tibetans, in practice, are very -simple in their applications of medical remedies. Rubbing with butter is -their great panacea. They have a dread of small-pox, and instead of -burning its victims they throw them into their rapid torrents. If an -isolated case occur, the sufferer is carried to a mountain-top, where he -is left to recover or die. If a small-pox epidemic is in the province, -the people of the villages in which it has not yet appeared place thorns -on their bridges and boundaries, to scare away the evil spirits which -are supposed to carry the disease. In ordinary illnesses, if butter -taken internally as well as rubbed into the skin does not cure the -patient, the _lamas_ are summoned to the rescue. They make a _mitsap_, a -half life-size figure of the sick person, dress it in his or her clothes -and ornaments, and place it in the courtyard, where they sit round it, -reading passages from the sacred classics fitted for the occasion. After -a time, all rise except the superior _lama_, who continues reading, and -taking small drums in their left hands, they recite incantations, and -dance wildly round the _mitsap_, believing, or at least leading the -people to believe, that by this ceremony the malady, supposed to be the -work of a demon, will be transferred to the image. Afterwards the -clothes and ornaments are presented to them, and the figure is carried -in procession out of the yard and village and is burned. If the patient -becomes worse, the friends are apt to resort to the medical skill of the -missionaries. If he dies they are blamed, and if he recovers the _lamas_ -take the credit. - -At some little distance outside Leh are the cremation grounds--desert -places, destitute of any other vegetation than the _Caprifolia horrida_. -Each family has its furnace kept in good repair. The place is doleful, -and a funeral scene on the only sunless day I experienced in Ladak was -indescribably dismal. After death no one touches the corpse but the -_lamas_, who assemble in numbers in the case of a rich man. The senior -_lama_ offers the first prayers, and lifts the lock which all Tibetans -wear at the back of the head, in order to liberate the soul if it is -still clinging to the body. At the same time he touches the region of -the heart with a dagger. The people believe that a drop of blood on the -head marks the spot where the soul has made its exit. Any good clothing -in which the person has died is then removed. The blacksmith beats a -drum, and the corpse, covered with a white sheet next the dress and a -coloured one above, is carried out of the house to be worshipped by the -relatives, who walk seven times round it. The women then retire to the -house, and the chief _lama_ recites liturgical passages from the -formularies. Afterwards, the relatives retire, and the corpse is carried -to the burning-ground by men who have the same tutelar deity as the -deceased. The leading _lama_ walks first, then come men with flags, -followed by the blacksmith with the drum, and next the corpse, with -another man beating a drum behind it. Meanwhile, the _lamas_ are praying -for the repose and quieting of the soul, which is hovering about, -desiring to return. The attendant friends, each of whom has carried a -piece of wood to the burning-ground, arrange the fuel with butter on the -furnace, the corpse wrapped in the white sheet is put in, and fire is -applied. The process of destruction in a rich man's case takes about an -hour. During the burning the _lamas_ read in high, hoarse monotones, and -the blacksmiths beat their drums. The _lamas_ depart first, and the -blacksmiths, after worshipping the ashes, shout, 'Have nothing to do -with us now,' and run rapidly away. At dawn the following day, a man -whose business it is searches among the ashes for the footprints of -animals, and according to the footprints found, so it is believed will -be the re-birth of the soul. - -Some of the ashes are taken to the _gonpos_, where the _lamas_ mix them -with clay, put them into oval or circular moulds, and stamp them with -the image of Buddha. These are preserved in _chod-tens_, and in the -house of the nearest relative of the deceased; but in the case of 'holy' -men, they are retained in the _gonpos_, where they can be purchased by -the devout. After a cremation much _chang_ is consumed by the friends, -who make presents to the bereaved family. The value of each is carefully -entered in a book, so that a precise return may be made when a similar -occasion occurs. Until the fourth day after death it is believed to be -impossible to quiet the soul. On that day a piece of paper is inscribed -with prayers and requests to the soul to be quiet, and this is burned by -the _lamas_ with suitable ceremonies; and rites of a more or less -elaborate kind are afterwards performed for the repose of the soul, -accompanied with prayers that it may get 'a good path' for its re-birth, -and food is placed in conspicuous places about the house, that it may -understand that its relatives are willing to support it. The mourners -for some time wear wretched clothes, and neither dress their hair nor -wash their faces. Every year the _lamas_ sell by auction the clothing -and ornaments, which are their perquisites at funerals[1]. - -[1] For these and other curious details concerning Tibetan customs I am -indebted to the kindness and careful investigations of the late Rev. W. -Redslob, of Leh, and the Rev. A. Heyde, of Kylang. - -The Moravian missionaries have opened a school in Leh, and the wazir, -finding that the Leh people are the worst educated in the country, -ordered that one child at least in each family should be sent to it. -This awakened grave suspicions, and the people hunted for reasons for -it. 'The boys are to be trained as porters, and made to carry burdens -over the mountains,' said some. 'Nay,' said others, 'they are to be sent -to England and made Christians of.' [All foreigners, no matter what -their nationality is, are supposed to be English.] Others again said, -'They are to be kidnapped,' and so the decree was ignored, till Mr. -Redslob and Dr. Marx went among the parents and explained matters, and a -large attendance was the result; for the Tibetans of the trade route -have come to look upon the acquisition of 'foreign learning' as the -stepping-stone to Government appointments at ten rupees per month. -Attendance on religious instruction was left optional, but after a time -sixty pupils were regularly present at the daily reading and explanation -of the Gospels. Tibetan fathers teach their sons to write, to read the -sacred classics, and to calculate with a frame of balls on wires. If -farther instruction is thought desirable, the boys are sent to the -_lamas_, and even to the schools at Lhassa. The Tibetans willingly -receive and read translations of our Christian books, and some go so far -as to think that their teachings are 'stronger' than those of their -own, indicating their opinions by tearing pages out of the Gospels and -rolling them up into pills, which are swallowed in the belief that they -are an effective charm. Sorcery is largely used in the treatment of the -sick. The books which instruct in the black art are known as 'black -books.' Those which treat of medicine are termed 'blue books.' Medical -knowledge is handed down from father to son. The doctors know the -virtues of many of the plants of the country, quantities of which they -mix up together while reciting magical formulas. - -[Illustration: CHANG-PA CHIEF] - -I was heartily sorry to leave Leh, with its dazzling skies and abounding -colour and movement, its stirring topics of talk, and the culture and -exceeding kindness of the Moravian missionaries. Helpfulness was the -rule. Gergan came over the Kharzong glacier on purpose to bring me a -prayer-wheel; Lob-sang and Tse-ring-don-drub, the hospital assistants, -made me a tent carpet of _yak's_ hair cloth, singing as they sewed; and -Joldan helped to secure transport for the twenty-two days' journey to -Kylang. Leh has few of what Europeans regard as travelling necessaries. -The brick tea which I purchased from a Lhassa trader was disgusting. I -afterwards understood that blood is used in making up the blocks. The -flour was gritty, and a leg of mutton turned out to be a limb of a goat -of much experience. There were no straps, or leather to make them of, in -the bazaar, and no buckles; and when the latter were provided by Mr. -Redslob, the old man who came to sew them upon a warm rug which I had -made for Gyalpo out of pieces of carpet and hair-cloth put them on -wrongly three times, saying after each failure, 'I'm very foolish. -Foreign ways are so wonderful!' At times the Tibetans say, 'We're as -stupid as oxen,' and I was inclined to think so, as I stood for two -hours instructing the blacksmith about making shoes for Gyalpo, which -kept turning out either too small for a mule or too big for a -dray-horse. - -I obtained two Lahul muleteers with four horses, quiet, obliging men, -and two superb _yaks_, which were loaded with twelve days' hay and -barley for my horse. Provisions for the whole party for the same time -had to be carried, for the route is over an uninhabited and arid desert. -Not the least important part of my outfit was a letter from Mr. Redslob -to the headman or chief of the Chang-pas or Champas, the nomadic tribes -of Rupchu, to whose encampment I purposed to make a _detour_. These -nomads had on two occasions borrowed money from the Moravian -missionaries for the payment of the Kashmiri tribute, and had repaid it -before it was due, showing much gratitude for the loans. - -Dr. Marx accompanied me for the three first days. The few native -Christians in Leh assembled in the gay garden plot of the lowly -mission-house to shake hands and wish me a good journey, and not a few -who were not Christians, some of them walking for the first hour beside -our horses. The road from Leh descends to a rude wooden bridge over the -Indus, a mighty stream even there, over blazing slopes of gravel -dignified by colossal _manis_ and _chod-tens_ in long lines, built by -the former kings of Ladak. On the other side of the river gravel slopes -ascend towards red mountains 20,000 feet in height. Then comes a rocky -spur crowned by the imposing castle of the Gyalpo, the son of the -dethroned king of Ladak, surmounted by a forest of poles from which -flutter _yaks'_ tails and long streamers inscribed with prayers. Others -bear aloft the trident, the emblem of Siva. Carefully hewn zigzags, -entered through a much-decorated and colossal _chod-ten_, lead to the -castle. The village of Stok, the prettiest and most prosperous in Ladak, -fills up the mouth of a gorge with its large farm-houses among poplar, -apricot, and willow plantations, and irrigated terraces of barley; and -is imposing as well as pretty, for the two roads by which it is -approached are avenues of lofty _chod-tens_ and broad _manis_, all in -excellent repair. Knolls, and deeply coloured spurs of naked rock, most -picturesquely crowded with _chod-tens_, rise above the greenery, -breaking the purple gloom of the gorge which cuts deeply into the -mountains, and supplies from its rushing glacier torrent the living -waters which create this delightful oasis. - -The _gopa_ came forth to meet us, bearing apricots and cheeses as the -Gyalpo's greeting, and conducted us to the camping-ground, a sloping -lawn in a willow-wood, with many a natural bower of the graceful -_Clematis orientalis_. The tents were pitched, afternoon tea was on a -table outside, a clear, swift stream made fitting music, the dissonance -of the ceaseless beating of gongs and drums in the castle temple was -softened by distance, the air was cool, a lemon light bathed the -foreground, and to the north, across the Indus, the great mountains of -the Leh range, with every cleft defined in purple or blue, lifted their -vermilion peaks into a rosy sky. It was the poetry and luxury of travel. - -At Leh I was obliged to dismiss the _seis_ for prolonged misconduct and -cruelty to Gyalpo, and Mando undertook to take care of him. The animal -had always been held by two men while the _seis_ groomed him with -difficulty, but at Stok, when Mando rubbed him down, he quietly went on -feeding and laid his lovely head on the lad's shoulder with a soft -cooing sound. From that moment Mando could do anything with him, and a -singular attachment grew up between man and horse. - -Towards sunset we were received by the Gyalpo. The castle loses nothing -of its picturesqueness on a nearer view, and everything about it is trim -and in good order. It is a substantial mass of stone building on a lofty -rock, the irregularities of which have been taken most artistic -advantage of in order to give picturesque irregularity to the edifice, -which, while six storeys high in some places, is only three in others. -As in the palace of Leh, the walls slope inwards from the base, where -they are ten feet thick, and projecting balconies of brown wood and grey -stone relieve their monotony. We were received at the entrance by a -number of red _lamas_, who took us up five flights of rude stairs to the -reception room, where we were introduced to the Gyalpo, who was in the -midst of a crowd of monks, and, except that his hair was not shorn, and -that he wore a silver brocade cap and large gold earrings and bracelets, -was dressed in red like them. Throneless and childless, the Gyalpo has -given himself up to religion. He has covered the castle roof with -Buddhist emblems (not represented in the sketch). From a pole, forty -feet long, on the terrace floats a broad streamer of equal length, -completely covered with _Aum mani padne hun_, and he has surrounded -himself with _lamas_, who conduct nearly ceaseless services in the -sanctuary. The attainment of merit, as his creed leads him to -understand it, is his one aim in life. He loves the seclusion of Stok, -and rarely visits the palace in Leh, except at the time of the winter -games, when the whole population assembles in cheery, orderly crowds, to -witness races, polo and archery matches, and a species of hockey. He -interests himself in the prosperity of Stok, plants poplars, willows, -and fruit trees, and keeps the castle _manis_ and _chod-tens_ in -admirable repair. - -Stok Castle is as massive as any of our mediaeval buildings, but is far -lighter and roomier. It is most interesting to see a style of -architecture and civilisation which bears not a solitary trace of -European influence, not even in Manchester cottons or Russian gimcracks. -The Gyalpo's room was only roofed for six feet within the walls, where -it was supported by red pillars. Above, the deep blue Tibetan sky was -flushing with the red of sunset, and from a noble window with a covered -stone balcony there was an enchanting prospect of red ranges passing -into translucent amethyst. The partial ceiling is painted in arabesques, -and at one end of the room is an alcove, much enriched with bold wood -carving. - -[Illustration: THE CASTLE OF STOK] - -The Gyalpo was seated on a carpet on the floor, a smooth-faced, rather -stupid-looking man of twenty-eight. He placed us on a carpet beside -him, and coffee, honey, and apricots were brought in, but the -conversation flagged. He neither suggested anything nor took up Dr. -Marx's suggestions. Fortunately, we had brought our sketch-books, and -the views of several places were recognised, and were found interesting. -The _lamas_ and servants, who had remained respectfully standing, sat -down on the floor, and even the Gyalpo became animated. So our visit -ended successfully. - -There is a doorway from the reception room into the sanctuary, and after -a time fully thirty _lamas_ passed in and began service, but the Gyalpo -only stood on his carpet. There is only a half light in this temple, -which is further obscured by scores of smoked and dusty bannerets of -gold and silver brocade hanging from the roof. In addition to the usual -Buddhist emblems there are musical instruments, exquisitely inlaid, or -enriched with _niello_ work of gold and silver of great antiquity, and -bows of singular strength, requiring two men to bend them, which are -made of small pieces of horn cleverly joined. _Lamas_ gabbled liturgies -at railroad speed, beating drums and clashing cymbals as an -accompaniment, while others blew occasional blasts on the colossal -silver horns or trumpets, which probably resemble those with which -Jericho was encompassed. The music, the discordant and high-pitched -monotones, and the revolting odours of stale smoke of juniper chips, of -rancid butter, and of unwashed woollen clothes which drifted through the -doorway, were overpowering. Attempted fights among the horses woke me -often during the night, and the sound of worship was always borne over -the still air. - -Dr. Marx left on the third day, after we had visited the monastery of -Hemis, the richest in Ladak, holding large landed property and -possessing much metallic wealth, including a _chod-ten_ of silver and -gold, thirty feet high, in one of its many halls, approached by -gold-plated silver steps and incrusted with precious stones; there is -also much fine work in brass and bronze. Hemis abounds in decorated -buildings most picturesquely placed, it has three hundred _lamas_, and -is regarded as 'the sight' of Ladak. - -At Upschi, after a day's march over blazing gravel, I left the rushing -olive-green Indus, which I had followed from the bridge of Khalsi, where -a turbulent torrent, the Upshi water, joins it, descending through a -gorge so narrow that the track, which at all times is blasted on the -face of the precipice, is occasionally scaffolded. A very extensive -rock-slip had carried away the path and rendered several fords -necessary, and before I reached it rumour was busy with the peril. It -was true that the day before several mules had been carried away and -drowned, that many loads had been sacrificed, and that one native -traveller had lost his life. So I started my caravan at daybreak, to get -the water at its lowest, and ascended the gorge, which is an absolutely -verdureless rift in mountains of most brilliant and fantastic -stratification. At the first ford Mando was carried down the river for a -short distance. The second was deep and strong, and a caravan of -valuable goods had been there for two days, afraid to risk the crossing. -My Lahulis, who always showed a great lack of stamina, sat down, sobbing -and beating their breasts. Their sole wealth, they said, was in their -baggage animals, and the river was 'wicked,' and 'a demon' lived in it -who paralysed the horses' legs. Much experience of Orientals and of -travel has taught me to surmount difficulties in my own way, so, -beckoning to two men from the opposite side, who came over shakily with -linked arms, I took the two strong ropes which I always carry on my -saddle, and roped these men together and to Gyalpo's halter with one, -and lashed Mando and the guide together with the other, giving them the -stout thongs behind the saddle to hold on to, and in this compact mass -we stood the strong rush of the river safely, the paralysing chill of -its icy waters being a far more obvious peril. All the baggage animals -were brought over in the same way, and the Lahulis praised their gods. - -At Gya, a wild hamlet, the last in Ladak proper, I met a working -naturalist whom I had seen twice before, and 'forgathered' with him much -of the way. Eleven days of solitary desert succeeded. The reader has -probably understood that no part of the Indus, Shayok, and Nubra -valleys, which make up most of the province of Ladak, is less than 9,500 -feet in altitude, and that the remainder is composed of precipitous -mountains with glaciers and snowfields, ranging from 18,000 to 25,000 -feet, and that the villages are built mainly on alluvial soil where -possibilities of irrigation exist. But Rupchu has peculiarities of its -own. - -Between Gya and Darcha, the first hamlet in Lahul, are three huge -passes, the Toglang, 18,150 feet in altitude, the Lachalang, 17,500, and -the Baralacha, 16,000,--all easy, except for the difficulties arising -from the highly rarefied air. The mountains of the region, which are -from 20,000 to 23,000 feet in altitude, are seldom precipitous or -picturesque, except the huge red needles which guard the Lachalang Pass, -but are rather 'monstrous protuberances,' with arid surfaces of -disintegrated rock. Among these are remarkable plateaux, which are taken -advantage of by caravans, and which have elevations of from 14,000 to -15,000 feet. There are few permanent rivers or streams, the lakes are -salt, beside the springs, and on the plateaux there is scanty -vegetation, chiefly aromatic herbs; but on the whole Rupchu is a desert -of arid gravel. Its only inhabitants are 500 nomads, and on the ten -marches of the trade route, the bridle paths, on which in some places -labour has been spent, the tracks, not always very legible, made by the -passage of caravans, and rude dykes, behind which travellers may shelter -themselves from the wind, are the only traces of man. Herds of the -_kyang_, the wild horse of some naturalists, and the wild ass of others, -graceful and beautiful creatures, graze within gunshot of the track -without alarm. - -I had thought Ladak windy, but Rupchu is the home of the winds, and the -marches must be arranged for the quietest time of the day. Happily the -gales blow with clockwork regularity, the day wind from the south and -south-west rising punctually at 9 a.m. and attaining its maximum at -2.30, while the night wind from the north and north-east rises about 9 -p.m. and ceases about 5 a.m. Perfect silence is rare. The highly -rarefied air, rushing at great speed, when at its worst deprives the -traveller of breath, skins his face and hands, and paralyses the baggage -animals. In fact, neither man nor beast can face it. The horses 'turn -tail' and crowd together, and the men build up the baggage into a wall -and crouch in the lee of it. The heat of the solar rays is at the same -time fearful. At Lachalang, at a height of over 15,000 feet, I noted a -solar temperature of 152 deg., only 35 deg. below the boiling point of water in -the same region, which is about 187 deg.. To make up for this, the mercury -falls below the freezing point every night of the year, even in August -the difference of temperature in twelve hours often exceeding 120 deg.! The -Rupchu nomads, however, delight in this climate of extremes, and regard -Leh as a place only to be visited in winter, and Kulu and Kashmir as if -they were the malarial swamps of the Congo! - -[Illustration: FIRST VILLAGE IN KULU] - -We crossed the Toglang Pass, at a height of 18,150 feet, with less -suffering from _ladug_ than on either the Digar or Kharzong Passes. -Indeed Gyalpo carried me over it, stopping to take breath every few -yards. It was then a long dreary march to the camping-ground of Tsala, -where the Chang-pas spend the four summer months; the guides and baggage -animals lost the way and did not appear until the next day, and in -consequence the servants slept unsheltered in the snow. News travels -as if by magic in desert places. Towards evening, while riding by a -stream up a long and tedious valley, I saw a number of moving specks on -the crest of a hill, and down came a surge of horsemen riding furiously. -Just as they threatened to sweep Gyalpo away, they threw their horses on -their haunches, in one moment were on the ground, which they touched -with their foreheads, presented me with a plate of apricots, and the -next vaulted into their saddles, and dashing up the valley were soon out -of sight. In another half-hour there was a second wild rush of horsemen, -the headman dismounted, threw himself on his face, kissed my hand, -vaulted into the saddle, and then led a swirl of his tribesmen at a -gallop in ever-narrowing circles round me till they subsided into the -decorum of an escort. An elevated plateau with some vegetation on it, a -row of forty tents, 'black' but not 'comely,' a bright rapid river, wild -hills, long lines of white sheep converging towards the camp, _yaks_ -rampaging down the hillsides, men running to meet us, and women and -children in the distance were singularly idealised in the golden glow of -a cool, moist evening. - -Two men took my bridle, and two more proceeded to put their hands on my -stirrups; but Gyalpo kicked them to the right and left amidst shrieks of -laughter, after which, with frantic gesticulations and yells of -'_Kabardar!_' I was led through the river in triumph and hauled off my -horse. The tribesmen were much excited. Some dashed about, performing -feats of horsemanship; others brought apricots and dough-balls made with -apricot oil, or rushed to the tents, returning with rugs; some cleared -the camping-ground of stones and raised a stone platform, and a flock of -goats, exquisitely white from the daily swims across the river, were -brought to be milked. Gradually and shrinkingly the women and children -drew near; but Mr. ----'s Bengali servant threatened them with a whip, -when there was a general stampede, the women running like hares. I had -trained my servants to treat the natives courteously, and addressed some -rather strong language to the offender, and afterwards succeeded in -enticing all the fugitives back by showing my sketches, which gave -boundless pleasure and led to very numerous requests for portraits! The -_gopa_, though he had the oblique Mongolian eyes, was a handsome young -man, with a good nose and mouth. He was dressed like the others in a -girdled _chaga_ of coarse serge, but wore a red cap turned up over the -ears with fine fur, a silver inkhorn, and a Yarkand knife in a chased -silver sheath in his girdle, and canary-coloured leather shoes with -turned-up points. The people prepared one of their own tents for me, and -laying down a number of rugs of their own dyeing and weaving, assured me -of an unbounded welcome as a friend of their 'benefactor,' Mr. Redslob, -and then proposed that I should visit their tents accompanied by all the -elders of the tribe. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -CLIMATE AND NATURAL FEATURES - - -The last chapter left me with the chief and elders of the Chang-pas -starting on 'a round of visits,' and it was not till nightfall that the -solemn ceremony was concluded. Each of the fifty tents was visited: at -every one a huge, savage Tibetan mastiff made an attempt to fly at me, -and was pounced upon and held down by a woman little bigger than -himself, and in each cheese and milk were offered and refused. In all I -received a hearty welcome for the sake of the 'great father,' Mr. -Redslob, who designated these people as 'the simplest and kindliest -people on earth.' - -This Chang-pa tribe, numbering five hundred souls, makes four moves in -the year, dividing in summer, and uniting in a valley very free from -snow in the winter. They are an exclusively pastoral people, and possess -large herds of _yaks_ and ponies and immense flocks of sheep and goats, -the latter almost entirely the beautiful 'shawl goat,' from the -undergrowth at the base of the long hair of which the fine Kashmir -shawls are made. This _pashm_ is a provision which Nature makes against -the intense cold of these altitudes, and grows on _yaks_, sheep, and -dogs, as well as on most of the wild animals. The sheep is the big, -hornless, flop-eared _huniya_. The _yaks_ and sheep are the load -carriers of Rupchu. Small or easily divided merchandise is carried by -sheep, and bulkier goods by _yaks_, and the Chang-pas make a great deal -of money by carrying for the Lahul, Central Ladak, and Rudok merchants, -their sheep travelling as far as Gar in Chinese Tibet. They are paid in -grain as well as coin, their own country producing no farinaceous food. -They have only two uses for silver money. With part of their gains they -pay the tribute to Kashmir, and they melt the rest, and work it into -rude personal ornaments. According to an old arrangement between Lhassa -and Leh, they carry brick tea free for the Lhassa merchants. They are -Buddhists, and practise polyandry, but their young men do not become -_lamas_, and owing to the scarcity of fuel, instead of burning their -dead, they expose them with religious rites face upwards in desolate -places, to be made away with by the birds of the air. All their tents -have a god-shelf, on which are placed small images and sacred emblems. -They dress as the Ladakis, except that the men wear shoes with very high -turned-up points, and that the women, in addition to the _perak_, the -usual ornament, place on the top of the head a large silver coronet with -three tassels. In physiognomy they resemble the Ladakis, but the -Mongolian type is purer, the eyes are more oblique, and the eyelids have -a greater droop, the chins project more, and the mouths are handsomer. -Many of the men, including the headman, were quite good-looking, but the -upper lips of the women were apt to be 'tucked up,' displaying very -square teeth, as we have shown in the preceding chapter. - -[Illustration: A TIBETAN FARM-HOUSE] - -The roofs of the Tsala tents are nearly flat, and the middle has an -opening six inches wide along its whole length. An excavation from -twelve to twenty-four inches deep is made in the soil, and a rude wall -of stones, about one foot high, is built round it, over which the tent -cloth, made in narrow widths of _yak's_ or goat's hair, is extended by -ropes led over forked sticks. There is no ridge pole, and the centre is -supported on short poles, to the projecting tops of which prayer flags -and _yaks'_ tails are attached. The interior, though dark, is not too -dark for weaving, and each tent has its loom, for the Chang-pas not only -weave their coarse woollen clothing and hair cloth for saddlebags and -tents, but rugs of wool dyed in rich colours made from native roots. The -largest tent was twenty feet by fifteen, but the majority measured only -fourteen feet by eight and ten feet. The height in no case exceeded six -feet. In these much ventilated and scarcely warmed shelters these hardy -nomads brave the tremendous winds and winter rigours of their climate at -altitudes varying from 13,000 to 14,500 feet. Water freezes every night -of the year, and continually there are differences in temperature of -100 deg. between noon and midnight. In addition to the fifty dwelling tents -there was one considerably larger, in which the people store their wool -and goat's hair till the time arrives for taking them to market. The -floor of several of the tents was covered with rugs, and besides looms -and confused heaps of what looked like rubbish, there were tea-churns, -goatskin churns, sheep and goat skins, children's bows and arrows, -cooking pots, and heaps of the furze root, which is used as fuel. - -They expended much of this scarce commodity upon me in their -hospitality, and kept up a bonfire all night. They mounted their wiry -ponies and performed feats of horsemanship, in one of which all the -animals threw themselves on their hind legs in a circle when a man in -the centre clapped his hands; and they crowded my tent to see my -sketches, and were not satisfied till I executed some daubs professing -to represent some of the elders. The excitement of their first visit -from a European woman lasted late into the night, and when they at last -retired they persisted in placing a guard of honour round my tent. - -In the morning there was ice on the pools, and the snow lay three inches -deep. Savage life had returned to its usual monotony, and the care of -flocks and herds. In the early afternoon the chief and many of the men -accompanied us across the ford, and we parted with mutual expressions of -good will. The march was through broad gravelly valleys, among -'monstrous protuberances' of red and yellow gravel, elevated by their -height alone to the dignity of mountains. Hail came on, and Gyalpo -showed his high breeding by facing it when the other animals 'turned -tail' and huddled together, and a storm of heavy sleet of some hours' -duration burst upon us just as we reached the dismal camping-ground of -Rukchen, guarded by mountain giants which now and then showed glimpses -of their white skirts through the dark driving mists. That was the only -'weather' in four months. - -A large caravan from the heat and sunshine of Amritsar was there. The -goods were stacked under goat's hair shelters, the mules were huddled -together without food, and their shivering Panjabi drivers, muffled in -blankets which only left one eye exposed, were grubbing up furze roots -wherewith to make smoky fires. My baggage, which had arrived previously, -was lying soaking in the sleet, while the wretched servants were trying -to pitch the tent in the high wind. They had slept out in the snow the -night before, and were mentally as well as physically benumbed. Their -misery had a comic side to it, and as the temperature made me feel -specially well, I enjoyed bestirring myself, and terrified Mando, who -was feebly 'fadding' with a rag, by giving Gyalpo a vigorous rub-down -with a bath-towel. Hassan Khan, with chattering teeth and severe -neuralgia, muffled in my 'fisherman's hood' under his turban, was trying -to do his work with his unfailing pluck. Mando was shedding futile tears -over wet furze which would not light, the small wet corrie was dotted -over with the Amritsar men sheltering under rocks and nursing hopeless -fires, and fifty mules and horses, with dejected heads and dripping -tails, and their backs to the merciless wind, were attempting to pick -some food from scanty herbage already nibbled to the root. My tent was -a picture of grotesque discomfort. The big stones had not been picked -out from the gravel, the bed stood in puddles, the thick horse blanket -was draining over the one chair, the servant's spare clothing and stores -were on the table, the _yaks'_ loads of wet hay and the soaked grain -sack filled up most of the space; a wet candle sputtered and went out, -wet clothes dripped from the tent hook, and every now and then Hassan -Khan looked in with one eye, gasping out, 'Mem Sahib, I can no light the -fire!' Perseverance succeeds eventually, and cups of a strong stimulant -made of Burroughes and Wellcome's vigorous 'valoid' tincture of ginger -and hot water, revived the men all round. Such was its good but innocent -effect, that early the next morning Hassan came into my tent with two -eyes, and convulsed with laughter. 'The pony men' and Mando, he said, -were crying, and the coolie from Leh, who before the storm had wanted to -go the whole way to Simla, after refusing his supper had sobbed all -night under the 'flys' of my tent, while I was sleeping soundly. -Afterwards I harangued them, and told them I would let them go, and help -them back; I could not take such poor-spirited miserable creatures with -me, and I would keep the Tartars who had accompanied me from Tsala. On -this they protested, and said, with a significant gesture, I might cut -their throats if they cried any more, and begged me to try them again; -and as we had no more bad weather, there was no more trouble. - -The marches which followed were along valleys, plains, and -mountain-sides of gravel, destitute of herbage, except a shrivelled -artemisia, and on one occasion the baggage animals were forty hours -without food. Fresh water was usually very scarce, and on the Lingti -plains was only obtainable by scooping it up from the holes left by the -feet of animals. Insect life was rare, and except grey doves, the 'dove -of the valleys,' which often flew before us for miles down the ravines, -no birds were to be seen. On the other hand, there were numerous herds -of _kyang_, which in the early mornings came to drink of the water by -which the camps were pitched. By looking through a crevice of my tent I -saw them distinctly, without alarming them. In one herd I counted forty. -They kept together in families, sire, dam, and foal. The animal -certainly is under fourteen hands, and resembles a mule rather than a -horse or ass. The noise, which I had several opportunities of hearing, -is more like a neigh than a bray, but lacks completeness. The creature -is light brown, almost fawn colour, fading into white under his body, -and he has a dark stripe on his back, but not a cross. His ears are -long, and his tail is like that of a mule. He trots and gallops, and -when alarmed gallops fast, but as he is not worth hunting, he has not a -great dread of humanity, and families of _kyang_ frequently grazed -within two hundred and fifty yards of us. He is about as untamable as -the zebra, and with his family affectionateness leads apparently a very -happy life. - -[Illustration: LAHUL VALLEY] - -On the Kwangchu plateau, at an elevation of 15,000 feet, I met with a -form of life which has a great interest of its own, sheep caravans, -numbering among them 7,000 sheep, each animal with its wool on, and -equipped with a neat packsaddle and two leather or hair-cloth bags, and -loaded with from twenty-five to thirty-two pounds of salt or borax. -These, and many more which we passed, were carrying their loads to -Patseo, a mountain valley in Lahul, where they are met by traders from -Northern British India. The sheep are shorn, and the wool and loads are -exchanged for wheat and a few other commodities, with which they return -to Tibet, the whole journey taking from nine months to a year. As the -sheep live by grazing the scanty herbage on the march, they never -accomplish more than ten miles a day, and as they often become footsore, -halts of several days are frequently required. Sheep, dead or dying, -with the birds of prey picking out their eyes, were often met with. -Ordinarily these caravans are led by a man, followed by a large goat -much bedecked and wearing a large bell. Each driver has charge of one -hundred sheep. These men, of small stature but very thickset, with their -wide smooth faces, loose clothing of sheepskin with the wool outside, -with their long coarse hair flying in the wind, and their uncouth shouts -in a barbarous tongue, are much like savages. They sing wild chants as -they picket their sheep in long double lines at night, and with their -savage mastiffs sleep unsheltered under the frosty skies under the lee -of their piled-up saddlebags. On three nights I camped beside their -caravans, and walked round their orderly lines of sheep and their neat -walls of saddlebags; and, far from showing any discourtesy or rude -curiosity, they held down their fierce dogs and exhibited their -ingenious mode of tethering their animals, and not one of the many -articles which my servants were in the habit of leaving outside the -tents was on any occasion abstracted. The dogs, however, were less -honest than their masters, and on one night ran away with half a sheep, -and I should have fared poorly had not Mr. ---- shot some grey doves. - -Marches across sandy and gravelly valleys, and along arid mountain-sides -spotted with a creeping furze and cushions of a yellow-green moss which -seems able to exist without moisture, fords of the Sumgyal and Tserap -rivers, and the crossing of the Lachalang Pass at an altitude of 17,500 -feet in severe frost, occupied several uneventful days. Of the three -lofty passes on this route, the Toglang, which is higher, and the -Baralacha, which is lower, are featureless billows of gravel, over which -a carriage might easily be driven. Not so is the Lachalang, though its -well-made zigzags are easy for laden animals. The approach to it is -fantastic, among precipitous mountains of red sandstone, and red rocks -weathered into pillars, men's heads, and numerous groups of gossipy old -women from thirty to fifty feet high, in flat hats and long circular -cloaks! Entering by red gates of rock into a region of gigantic -mountains, and following up a crystal torrent, the valley narrowing to a -gorge, and the gorge to a chasm guarded by nearly perpendicular needles -of rock flaming in the westering sun, we forded the river at the chasm's -throat, and camped on a velvety green lawn just large enough for a few -tents, absolutely walled in by abrupt mountains 18,000 and 19,000 feet -in height. Long after the twilight settled down on us, the pinnacles -above glowed in warm sunshine, and the following morning, when it was -only dawn below, and the still river pools were frozen and the grass -was white with hoar-frost, the morning sun reddened the snow-peaks and -kindled into vermilion the red needles of Lachalang. That camping-ground -under such conditions is the grandest and most romantic spot of the -whole journey. - -Verdureless and waterless stretches, in crossing which our poor animals -were two nights without food, brought us to the glacier-blue waters of -the Serchu, tumbling along in a deep broad gash, and farther on to a -lateral torrent which is the boundary between Rupchu, tributary to -Kashmir, and Lahul or British Tibet, under the rule of the Empress of -India. The tents were ready pitched in a grassy hollow by the river; -horses, cows, and goats were grazing near them, and a number of men were -preparing food. A Tibetan approached me, accompanied by a creature in a -nondescript dress speaking Hindustani volubly. On a band across his -breast were the British crown, and a plate with the words -'Commissioner's _chaprassie_, Kulu district.' I never felt so -extinguished. Liberty seemed lost, and the romance of the desert to have -died out in one moment! At the camping-ground I found rows of salaaming -Lahulis drawn up, and Hassan Khan in a state which was a compound of -pomposity and jubilant excitement. The _tahsildar_ (really the Tibetan -honorary magistrate), he said, had received instructions from the -Lieutenant-Governor of the Panjab that I was on the way to Kylang, and -was to 'want for nothing.' So twenty-four men, nine horses, a flock of -goats, and two cows had been waiting for me for three days in the Serchu -valley. I wrote a polite note to the magistrate, and sent all back -except the _chaprassie_, the cows, and the cowherd, my servants looking -much crestfallen. - -We crossed the Baralacha Pass in wind and snow showers into a climate in -which moisture began to be obvious. At short distances along the pass, -which extends for many miles, there are rude semicircular walls, three -feet high, all turned in one direction, in the shelter of which -travellers crouch to escape from the strong cutting wind. My men -suffered far more than on the two higher passes, and it was difficult to -dislodge them from these shelters, where they lay groaning, gasping, and -suffering from vertigo and nose-bleeding. The cold was so severe that I -walked over the loftiest part of the pass, and for the first time felt -slight effects of the _ladug_. At a height of 15,000 feet, in the midst -of general desolation, grew, in the shelter of rocks, poppies -(_Mecanopsis aculeata_), blue as the Tibetan skies, their centres filled -with a cluster of golden-yellow stamens,--a most charming sight. Ten or -twelve of these exquisite blossoms grow on one stalk, and stalk, leaf, -and seed-vessels are guarded by very stiff thorns. Lower down flowers -abounded, and at the camping-ground of Patseo (12,000 feet), where the -Tibetan sheep caravans exchange their wool, salt, and borax for grain, -the ground was covered with soft greensward, and real rain fell. Seen -from the Baralacha Pass are vast snowfields, glaciers, and avalanche -slopes. This barrier, and the Rotang, farther south, close this trade -route practically for seven months of the year, for they catch the -monsoon rains, which at that altitude are snows from fifteen to thirty -feet deep; while on the other side of the Baralacha and throughout -Rupchu and Ladak the snowfall is insignificant. So late as August, when -I crossed, there were four perfect snow bridges over the Bhaga, and -snowfields thirty-six feet deep along its margin. At Patseo the -_tahsildar_, with a retinue and animals laden with fodder, came to pay -his respects to me, and invited me to his house, three days' journey. -These were the first human beings we had seen for three days. - -A few miles south of the Baralacha Pass some birch trees appeared on a -slope, the first natural growth of timber that I had seen since crossing -the Zoji La. Lower down there were a few more, then stunted specimens -of the pencil cedar, and the mountains began to show a shade of green on -their lower slopes. Butterflies appeared also, and a vulture, a grand -bird on the wing, hovered ominously over us for some miles, and was -succeeded by an equally ominous raven. On the excellent bridle-track cut -on the face of the precipices which overhang the Bhaga, there is in nine -miles only one spot in which it is possible to pitch a five-foot tent, -and at Darcha, the first hamlet in Lahul, the only camping-ground is on -the house roofs. There the Chang-pas and their _yaks_ and horses who had -served me pleasantly and faithfully from Tsala left me, and returned to -the freedom of their desert life. At Kolang, the next hamlet, where the -thunder of the Bhaga was almost intolerable, Hara Chang, the magistrate, -one of the _thakurs_ or feudal proprietors of Lahul, with his son and -nephew and a large retinue, called on me; and the next morning Mr. ---- -and I went by invitation to visit him in his castle, a magnificently -situated building on a rocky spur 1,000 feet above the camping-ground, -attained by a difficult climb, and nearly on a level with the glittering -glaciers and ice-falls on the other side of the Bhaga. It only differs -from Leh and Stok castles in having blue glass in some of the smaller -windows. In the family temple, in addition to the usual life-size -images of Buddha and the Triad, there was a female divinity, carved at -Jallandhur in India, copied from a statue representing Queen Victoria in -her younger days--a very fitting possession for the highest government -official in Lahul. The _thakur_, Hara Chang, is wealthy and a rigid -Buddhist, and uses his very considerable influence against the work of -the Moravian missionaries in the valley. The rude path down to the -bridle-road, through fields of barley and buckwheat, is bordered by -roses, gooseberries, and masses of wild flowers. - -[Illustration: GONPO AT KYLANG] - -The later marches after reaching Darcha are grand beyond all -description. The track, scaffolded or blasted out of the rock at a -height of from 1,000 to 3,000 feet above the thundering Bhaga, is -scarcely a rifle-shot from the mountain mass dividing it from the -Chandra, a mass covered with nearly unbroken ice and snowfields, out of -which rise pinnacles of naked rock 21,000 and 22,000 feet in altitude. -The region is the 'abode of snow,' and glaciers of great size fill up -every depression. Humidity, vegetation, and beauty reappear together, -wild flowers and ferns abound, and pencil cedars in clumps rise above -the artificial plantations of the valley. Wheat ripens at an altitude of -12,000 feet. Picturesque villages, surrounded by orchards, adorn the -mountain spurs; _chod-tens_ and _gonpos_, with white walls and -fluttering flags, brighten the scene; feudal castles crown the heights, -and where the mountains are loftiest, the snowfields and glaciers most -imposing, and the greenery densest, the village of Kylang, the most -important in Lahul as the centre of trade, government, and Christian -missions, hangs on ledges of the mountain-side 1,000 feet above Bhaga, -whose furious course can be traced far down the valley by flashes of -sunlit foam. - -The Lahul valley, which is a part of British Tibet, has an altitude of -10,000 feet. It prospers under British rule, its population has -increased, Hindu merchants have settled in Kylang, the route through -Lahul to Central Asia is finding increasing favour with the Panjabi -traders, and the Moravian missionaries, by a bolder system of irrigation -and the provision of storage for water, have largely increased the -quantity of arable land. The Lahulis are chiefly Tibetans, but Hinduism -is largely mixed up with Buddhism in the lower villages. All the -_gonpos_, however, have been restored and enlarged during the last -twenty years. In winter the snow lies fifteen feet deep, and for four or -five months, owing to the perils of the Rotang Pass, the valley rarely -has any communication with the outer world. - -At the foot of the village of Kylang, which is built in tier above tier -of houses up the steep side of a mountain with a height of 21,000 feet, -are the Moravian mission buildings, long, low, whitewashed erections, of -the simplest possible construction, the design and much of the actual -erection being the work of these capable Germans. The large building, -which has a deep verandah, the only place in which exercise can be taken -in the winter, contains the native church, three rooms for each -missionary, and two guest-rooms. Round the garden are the printing -rooms, the medicine and store room (stores arriving once in two years), -and another guest-room. Round an adjacent enclosure are the houses -occupied in winter by the Christians when they come down with their -sheep and cattle from the hill farms. All is absolutely plain, and as -absolutely clean and trim. The guest-rooms and one or two of the Tibetan -rooms are papered with engravings from the _Illustrated London News_, -but the rooms of the missionaries are only whitewashed, and by their -extreme bareness reminded me of those of very poor pastors in the -Fatherland. A garden, brilliant with zinnias, dianthus, and petunias, -all of immense size, and planted with European trees, is an oasis, and -in it I camped for some weeks under a willow tree, covered, as many are, -with a sweet secretion so abundant as to drop on the roof of the tent, -and which the people collect and use as honey. - -The mission party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Shreve, lately arrived, and -now in a distant exile at Poo, and Mr. and Mrs. Heyde, who had been in -Tibet for nearly forty years, chiefly spent at Kylang, without going -home. 'Plain living and high thinking' were the rule. Books and -periodicals were numerous, and were read and assimilated. The culture -was simply wonderful, and the acquaintance with the latest ideas in -theology and natural science, the latest political and social -developments, and the latest conceptions in European art, would have led -me to suppose that these admirable people had only just left Europe. -Mrs. Heyde had no servant, and in the long winters, when household and -mission work are over for the day, and there are no mails to write for, -she pursues her tailoring and other needlework, while her husband reads -aloud till midnight. At the time of my visit (September) busy -preparations for the winter were being made. Every day the wood piles -grew. Hay, cut with sickles on the steep hillsides, was carried on human -backs into the farmyard, apples were cored and dried in the sun, -cucumbers were pickled, vinegar was made, potatoes were stored, and meat -was killed and salted. - -It is in winter, when the Christians have come down from the mountain, -that most of the mission work is done. Mrs. Heyde has a school of forty -girls, mostly Buddhists. The teaching is simple and practical, and -includes the knitting of socks, of which from four to five hundred pairs -are turned out each winter, and find a ready sale. The converts meet for -instruction and discussion twice daily, and there is daily worship. The -mission press is kept actively employed in printing the parts of the -Bible which have been translated during the summer, as well as simple -tracts written or translated by Mr. Heyde. No converts are better -instructed, and like those of Leh they seem of good quality, and are -industrious and self-supporting. Winter work is severe, as ponies, -cattle, and sheep must always be hand-fed, and often hand-watered. Mr. -Heyde has great repute as a doctor, and in summer people travel long -distances for his advice and medicine. He is universally respected, and -his judgment in worldly affairs is highly thought of; but if one were to -judge merely by apparent results, the devoted labour of nearly forty -years and complete self-sacrifice for the good of Kylang must be -pronounced unsuccessful. Christianity has been most strongly opposed by -men of influence, and converts have been exposed to persecution and -loss. The abbot of the Kylang monastery lately said to Mr. Heyde, 'Your -Christian teaching has given Buddhism a resurrection.' The actual words -used were, 'When you came here people were quite indifferent about their -religion, but since it has been attacked they have become zealous, and -now they _know_.' It is only by sharing their circumstances of -isolation, and by getting glimpses of their everyday life and work, that -one can realise at all what the heroic perseverance and self-sacrificing -toil of these forty years have been, and what is the weighty influence -on the people and on the standard of morals, even though the number of -converts is so small. All honour to these noble German missionaries, -learned, genial, cultured, radiant, who, whether teaching, preaching, -farming, gardening, printing, or doctoring, are always and everywhere -'living epistles of Christ, known and read of all men!' Close by the -mission house, in a green spot under shady trees, is God's Acre, where -many children of the mission families sleep, and a few adults. - -As the winter is the busiest season in mission work, so it is the great -time in which the _lamas_ make house-to-house peregrinations and attend -at festivals. Then also there is much spinning and weaving by both -sexes, and tobogganing and other games, and much drinking of _chang_ by -priests and people. The cattle remain out till nearly Christmas, and are -then taken into the houses. At the time of the variable new year, the -_lamas_ and nuns retire to the monasteries, and dulness reigns in the -valleys. At the end of a month they emerge, life and noise begin, and -all men to whom sons have been born during the previous year give -_chang_ freely. During the festival which follows, all these jubilant -fathers go out of the village as a gaudily dressed procession, and form -a circle round a picture of a _yak_, painted by the _lamas_, which is -used as a target to be shot at with bows and arrows, and it is believed -that the man who hits it in the centre will be blessed with a son in the -coming year. After this, all the Kylang men and women collect in one -house by annual rotation, and sing and drink immense quantities of -_chang_ till 10 p.m. - -The religious festivals begin soon after. One, the worshipping of the -_lamas_ by the laity, occurs in every village, and lasts from two to -three days. It consists chiefly of music and dancing, while the _lamas_ -sit in rows, swilling _chang_ and arrack. At another, which is -celebrated annually in every house, the _lamas_ assemble, and in front -of certain gods prepare a number of mystical figures made of dough, -which are hung up and are worshipped by the family. Afterwards the -_lamas_ make little balls which are worshipped, and one of the family -mounts the roof and invites the neighbours, who receive the balls from -the _lamas'_ hands and drink moderately of _chang_. Next, the figures -are thrown to the demons as a propitiatory offering, amidst 'hellish -whistlings' and the firing of guns. These ceremonies are called _ise -drup_ (a full life), and it is believed that if they were neglected life -would be cut short. - -One of the most important of the winter religious duties of the _lamas_ -is the reading of the sacred classics under the roof of each -householder. By this means the family accumulate merit, and the longer -the reading is protracted the greater is the accumulation. A -twelve-volume book is taken in the houses of the richer householders, -each one of the twelve or fifteen _lamas_ taking a page, all reading at -an immense pace in a loud chant at the same time. The reading of these -volumes, which consist of Buddhist metaphysics and philosophy, takes -five days, and while reading each _lama_ has his _chang_ cup constantly -replenished. In the poorer households a classic of but one volume is -taken, to lessen the expense of feeding the _lamas_. Festivals and -ceremonies follow each other closely until March, when archery practice -begins, and in April and May the people prepare for the operations of -husbandry. - -The weather in Kylang breaks in the middle of September, but so -fascinating were the beauties and sublimity of Nature, and the virtues -and culture of my Moravian friends, that, shutting my eyes to the -possible perils of the Rotang, I remained until the harvest was brought -home with joy and revelry, and the flush of autumn faded, and the first -snows of winter gave an added majesty to the glorious valley. Then, -reluctantly folding my tent, and taking the same faithful fellows who -brought my baggage from Leh, I spent five weeks on the descent to the -Panjab, journeying through the paradise of Upper Kulu and the -interesting native states of Mandi, Sukket, Bilaspur, and Bhaghat; and -early in November reached the amenities and restraints of the -civilisation of Simla. - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Among the Tibetans, by Isabella L. Bird - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AMONG THE TIBETANS *** - -***** This file should be named 41635.txt or 41635.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/6/3/41635/ - -Produced by Suzanne Shell, Asad Razzaki and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - |