fully built,
and with plenty of bounce about them.

[Illustration: THE PANKU GOMBA]

Early in the morning I had made inquiries about provisions, and had
arranged for the purchase of two fat sheep and some 450 lbs. of food
(flour, rice, _tsamba, ghur_, sugar, salt and butter), and several
Tibetans stated that they could supply me with any quantity I required.
Among others was a trader from Buddhi, Darcey Bura's brother, who
promised to bring me within an hour a sufficient quantity of food to last
us ten men twenty-five days. I noticed, when these men left, that two of
my Shokas ran after them, and entered into an excited discussion with
them. Some two or three hours later, the traders returned, swearing that
not an ounce of food could be obtained in the place. The way in which
these men could lie was indeed marvellous to study. I suspected
treachery, and reprimanded my Shokas, threatening to punish them very
severely if my suspicions proved to be well founded.

The Shokas, knowing themselves discovered, and partly through fear of the
Tibetans, were now again quite unreasonable and demoralised. It was no
use keeping them by force and I decided to discharge them. From the
moment I had entered the forbidden country I had been compelled to
protect myself against them as much as against the Tibetans. I reflected,
however, when I made up my mind to let them go, that these fellows had
stood for my sake hardships and privations which few men could stand; and
in paying them off I therefore rewarded them suitably, and they undertook
to bring back safely across the frontier part of my baggage containing
photographs, ethnological collections, &c. With infinite trouble I then
managed to purchase enough provisions to last five men ten days.

The whole party accompanied me three-and-a-quarter miles farther, where,
in sight of the tumble-down Panku Gomba, a mile to the West of us, we
halted in order to make the necessary arrangements for our parting,
unseen by the Tibetans. I took observations for latitude and longitude.
The water of the hypsometrical apparatus boiled at 185 deg. Fahr. fifty feet
above the level of the lake, the temperature of the air being 76 deg. and the
hour 10 A.M.

We had a high snowy chain to the South of us, extending from 70 deg. to 33 deg.
(b.m.), the direction of the range being approximately from South-West to
North-East, starting at Nimo Namgil.

When everything was ready, the five Shokas, including Ka