In the forbidden land, an account of a journey into Tibet . , showed kindness andthoughtfulness, bringing us a little butter or tsamba when-ever they could do so unseen by their comrades. Theguard was changed so frequently that we had no chanceof making friends with them, and each lot seemed worsethan the last. A very curious incident happened one day, causing ascare among them. We had halted near a cliff, and thesoldiers were some twenty yards off. Having exhaustedevery means I could think of to inspire these ruffians withrespect, I resorted to the performance of some ventrilo-quial feats, pr
In the forbidden land, an account of a journey into Tibet . , showed kindness andthoughtfulness, bringing us a little butter or tsamba when-ever they could do so unseen by their comrades. Theguard was changed so frequently that we had no chanceof making friends with them, and each lot seemed worsethan the last. A very curious incident happened one day, causing ascare among them. We had halted near a cliff, and thesoldiers were some twenty yards off. Having exhaustedevery means I could think of to inspire these ruffians withrespect, I resorted to the performance of some ventrilo-quial feats, pretending to speak and to receive the an-swers from the summit of the cliff. The Tibetans wereterror-stricken. They asked me who was up there. Isaid it was some one I knew. * Also written TERROR-STRICKEN TIBETANS Is it a Plenki ? Yes. Immediately they hustled us on our yaks, and mount-ing their ponies, we left the place at headlong speed. On reaching a spot which from observations taken onmy outward journey I reckoned to be in longitude 8^,° 6. ONE OF OUR GUARD 3c east and latitude 30° 27 30 north I had a great pieceof luck. It is at this point that the two principal sourcesof the Brahmaputra meet and form one river, the one com-ing from the northwest, w^hich I had already followed, theother proceeding from the west-northwest. The Tibe-tans, to my delight, selected the southern route, thus giv-ing me the opportunity of visiting the second of the twoprincipal sources of the great river. This second stream 173 IN THE FORBIDDEN LAND rises in a flat plain, having its first birth in a lakelet inapproximate longitude 82° 47 east and latitude 30° 33north. I gave the northern source my own name, a pro-ceeding which I trust will not be regarded as immodestin view^ of the fact that I was the first European to visitit, and of all the circumstances of my journey. This period of our captivity was dreary, yet interestingand instructive, for, as we went along, I got the soldier
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