e place occupied by glass in ordinary spectacles, was here occupied by
a sort of gauze horsehair work, carved out like a half walnut-shell. To
fasten these two lids against the eyes, there was on each side a string
which passed behind the ears, and was then tied under the chin. We
thanked the excellent Dheba most heartily; for, under the circumstances,
the present was inestimable. On crossing the mountain of Loumma-Ri, we
had already suffered much from the reflection of the snow.

On quitting the town, we found, as on entering it, the soldiers of the
garrison awaiting Ly-Kouo-Ngan, in order to give him the military salute.
These men, ranged in file, in the fog, and holding in their hands a sabre
that gleamed in the obscurity, had so odd an appearance, that almost all
the horses in the caravan shied at them. These military salutes were
renewed, on the way, wherever there was a Chinese garrison, to
Ly-Kouo-Ngan's extreme exasperation. As he was unable, on account of his
diseased legs, to dismount and remount with facility, these ceremonies
were a regular torment to him. It was in vain that at each point he sent
forward one of his soldiers to direct the garrison not to come out to
receive him. This made them only more eager and more earnest for
display, thinking that it was mere modesty prompted him to withdraw
himself from the honours due to his rank.

Four lis from Ghiamda, we crossed a large and rapid torrent, over a
bridge composed of six enormous trunks of fir trees, not planed, and so
badly joined, that you felt them shake under your feet. No one ventured
to cross on horseback, and the precaution was most valuable to one of our
soldiers; his horse, slipping over the wet and trembling bridge, one of
its legs passed between two trees, and stuck there as in a vice. If the
man had been on it, he would have inevitably been precipitated into the
torrent, and dashed to pieces on the rocks. After long and painful
efforts, we managed to extricate the unfortunate animal from its
frightful position; to the astonishment of every one, it had not broken
its leg, nor even received the least wound.

Beyond this wretched bridge, we resumed our wild pilgrimage across rugged
and snow-clad mountains. For four days, we did not find in these wild
regions a single Thibetian village. Every evening we lay in the Chinese
guard-houses, around which were grouped a few shepherds' huts, made with
the bark of trees. During these four