any further, and I was
compelled to get fresh men from this place. The Shokas (the local and
correct name of the inhabitants of Bhot) were not at all inclined to
accompany me. They knew too well how cruel the Tibetans were. Many of
them had been tortured, and men could be seen in Garbyang who had been
mutilated by the Tibetans. Indeed, the Tibetans often crossed the border
to come and claim dues and taxes and inflict punishment on the helpless
Shokas, who were left unprotected by the Government of India.

[Illustration: INVOLUNTARY TOBOGGANING]

The Jong Pen of Taklakot, a high official at the Tibetan frontier, upon
hearing of my proposed visit, sent threats that he would confiscate the
land of any man who came in my employ. He sent messengers threatening to
cut off my head if I crossed the boundary, and promised to flog and kill
any man who accompanied me. On my side I had spies keeping me well
informed of his movements. He kept on sending daily messengers with more
threats. He gathered his soldiers on the Lippu Pass, where he suspected
I might enter his country.

Before starting with my entire expedition I took a reconnoitring trip
with only a few men, in order to see what tactics I should adopt in
order to dodge the fanatical natives of the forbidden land. To go and
find new ways on virgin mountains and glaciers was not easy work. During
our rapid scouting journey we had a number of accidents. Going over a
snow-slope one day I slipped and shot down a snow-slope with terrific
speed for a distance of three hundred yards, just escaping getting
smashed to pieces at the end of this involuntary toboganning. One of my
carriers, who carried a child on the top of one of my loads, had a
similar accident, with the result that the child was killed.

On returning to Garbyang I found that the Tibetans had tried to set the
natives against me. Tibetan spies travelled daily between Taklakot and
Garbyang, in order to keep the Jong Pen informed of my movements. The
Jong Pen sent an impudent messenger one day to say that he had plenty
of soldiers guarding the Lippu Pass, and that he would kill us all if we
came. If he caught me alive he would cut off my head; my body, he said,
he would sew in skins and fling into the river. I sent a messenger back
to the Jong Pen to inform him that I was ready to start, and that I
would meet him on the Lippu Pass; that he had better beware, and get out
of my way. The messenger who brought him this n