ttlement--A large
river--Gigantic peak--Again on marshy soil.

THE alarm of our arrival, given first by scores of dogs barking at us,
then by one of the natives who had ventured to leave his tent to find out
the cause of the disturbance, created the usual panic in the place.

"_Gigri duk! gigri duk! Jogpa, Jogpa!_" ("Danger, danger; help,
brigands!") cried the Tibetan, running frantically out of his tent; and a
few seconds later, black figures could be seen everywhere, rushing in and
out of their tents in a state of confusion. It must be remembered that,
according to the manners of Tibet, one should time one's arrival at an
encampment so as to reach it before sundown, unless notice of one's
approach is sent ahead. People who arrive unexpectedly in the middle of
the night are never credited with good motives, and their appearance is
associated with all sorts of evil intentions, murder, robbery or
extortion. I tried to set the minds of the good folk at ease, by stating
that I meant no harm; but such was their excitement and confusion that I
could get no one to listen to me.

Two old women came to us with a bucket of milk and laid it at my feet,
entreating me to spare their lives; and great was their astonishment
when, instead of finding themselves murdered, they received a silver
rupee in payment. This was the first step towards a peaceful settlement
of the disturbance. After some time, calm was restored and, though still
regarded with considerable suspicion, we were politely treated by the
natives.

Unfortunately, here too we were unable to purchase provisions, the
natives declaring that they had not sufficient for themselves. So, having
feasted on the _rabbu_ which we killed, and on yak's milk, we made
preparations to strike camp early next morning.

At night the thermometer fell to 26 deg., and the cold was very great; but we
purchased a quantity of dung from the natives and made a fine fire in the
morning; and, having had a good meal after several days' privations, we
felt happier than usual. The natives begged as ever, showing their
unrestrained craving for money, to get which they would lower themselves
to anything.

[Illustration: CARPENTER AND SADDLE-MAKER]

North-west of the encampment, through a gorge, flowed a wide river which
skirted the foot of the mountains. It was snow-fed, for in the evening
the current was strong and deep, whereas early in the morning the level
of the water was several feet