ndred ponies, some with magnificent harness,
to be brought up; and, mounting the finest, and holding in his hand that
dreadful _taram_, rode round the hill on which the monastery and fort
stood.

On returning, he harangued his men, and a series of sports began, the
Pombo seating himself near me and watching me intently to see how I was
enjoying the performance. First of all the best marksmen were selected,
and with their matchlocks fired one after the other at my two poor yaks
only a few yards off; but although they aimed carefully and deliberately,
they did not succeed in hitting them. I knew that they fired with
bullets, for I could hear the hissing sound the missiles made.

Next came a display of fine horsemanship, which was very interesting. I
should have enjoyed it more if I had not been suffering agonies all the
time. Still, the performance helped to cheer me. First there were races
in which only two ponies at a time took part, the last race being run
between the two winners of the last heats, and a _kata_ was presented to
the victor. Next one horseman rode ahead at full gallop flying a _kata_,
while some twenty others followed closely behind. The _kata_ was left to
fly by itself, and when it settled on the ground, the horsemen following
the first rode some distance away, and, at a given signal, galloped back
wildly, all converging towards the spot, and, bending down from their
ponies, attempted to pick up the _kata_ without dismounting. Some of the
younger men were very clever at this.

Another exercise consisted in one man on foot standing still, while a
mounted comrade rode at full gallop towards him, seized him by his
clothes, and lifted him on to the saddle.

Though I could not see as well as I wished, I got so interested in the
show, and expressed such admiration for the ponies, that the Pombo,
becoming quite thoughtful and polite, ordered the best of them to be
brought before me, and had me lifted into a sitting posture, so that I
could see them better.

CHAPTER XCI

A great relief--The Pombo's attentions--A weird hypnotic dance.

THIS was a great relief, for I was suffering more from my humiliating
position, being unable to stand, than from the tortures themselves. The
Pombo told me that I must now look towards the tent, and then got up and
walked towards it.

The opening of the tent was over twenty feet long. Some soldiers came and
dragged me close to the front of it, so that I could