was angry with myself for not noticing his disappearance before. As
there were many Tibetans about the spot where he had remained, I feared
foul play on their part, and that he might have been overpowered. Again
I imagined that, weak as he was, he might have been sucked down in one
of the deeper mud-holes, without a chance of saving himself. I left
Chanden Sing to look after the yaks, and turned back in search of him.
As I hurried back mile after mile, struggling again half across the mud
swamp, and yet saw no trace of the poor coolie, I was almost giving up
my quest in despair, when my eye caught sight of something moving about
half a mile farther on. It was the goat, all alone. I made for it with a
sinking heart.

It was only on getting quite close that I perceived the poor coolie,
quite insensible in a faint, lying flat and half sunk in the mud.
Fortunately he had taken the precaution of tying the rope to which the
goat was fastened tight round his arm. To it only was due my discovering
Mansing's whereabouts, not to speak of the rescue of our precious
acquisition. With some rubbing and shaking I brought the poor fellow
back to life, and helped him along until we rejoined Chanden Sing. Not
until the middle of the night did we reach Tarbar, a large Tibetan
encampment at the foot of the hill range.

The alarm of our arrival, given first by scores of dogs barking at us,
then by one of the natives who had ventured peeping out of 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, brigands!) cried the Tibetan, running frantically out of his
tent. A few seconds later black figures could be seen everywhere,
dashing in and out of their tents. 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--nothing short of murder, robbery,
or extortion. I tried to set the minds of the Tibetans at ease by
telling them that I meant no harm, but such was their excitement and
fright 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. Great was their astonishment when,
instead of finding themselves murder