emples was so strong that, though in ordinary
circumstances I can remain under water for over a minute, I could there
never bold out for longer than fifteen or twenty seconds. Each time that
I emerged from below, gasping for air, my heart beat alarmingly hard, and
my lungs seemed as if about to burst.

I was so exhausted that I did not feel equal to conveying across my two
men, so I unloaded the stronger yak, and then, with endless fatigue, I
drove him and his mate again into the water. Unhampered, and good
swimmers as they are, they floated away with the current and reached the
other side. Chanden Sing and Mansing, with their clothes and mine tied
into a bundle over their shoulders, got on the animals and, after a
somewhat anxious passage, they arrived safely on my side, where we
camped, my men mourning all night over the lost property. The next
morning I made fresh attempts to recover the loads, but in vain!
Unhappily they contained all my tinned provisions, and what little other
food I had, and they had in them besides eight hundred rupees in silver,
the greater part of my ammunition, changes of clothing and three pairs of
shoes, my copper hurricane lantern, and sundry knives and razors.

The only thing we recovered was the pack-saddle, which was washed ashore
some six hundred yards farther down. Our situation can be summed up in a
few words. We were now in the centre of Tibet, with no food of any kind,
no clothes to speak of, and no boots or shoes, except those we wore,
which were falling to pieces. What little ammunition I had left could not
be relied upon, owing to its having been in the water on several
occasions; and round us we had nothing but enemies--insignificant enemies
if you like, yet enemies for all that.

I got what comfort I could out of the knowledge that at least the
water-tight cases with my scientific instruments, notes, sketches and
maps were saved, and as far as I was concerned, I valued them more than
anything else I possessed.

CHAPTER LXXI

Hungry and worn--A sense of humour--Two buckets of milk--No food
to be obtained--Chanden Sing and Mansing in a wretched
state--Their fidelity--Exhaustion.

WE went on, hungry, worn out, with our feet lacerated, cheering one
another as best we could. We laughed at our troubles; we laughed at the
Tibetans and their comical ways; we laughed at everything and everybody,
until eventually we even laughed at ourselves. When you are hun