to follow me, they could no more.

The natives received us kindly, and consented to sell me ponies,
clothes, and provisions. We encamped about two miles beyond the
settlement. During the evening several persons visited my tent, bringing
gifts of flour, butter, and _tsamba_, accompanied by _katas_, the veils
of friendship. I made a point of invariably giving the Tibetans, in
return for their gifts, silver money to an amount three or four times
the value of the articles they presented us with. They professed to be
very grateful. A man called Ando, who styled himself a Gourkha, but wore
the garb of the Tibetans, came to visit us in our tent, and promised to
bring several ponies for sale the next morning. He also undertook to
sell a sufficient quantity of food to enable us to reach Lhassa. To show
his good faith, he brought a portion of the supplies in the evening, and
said he would let us have the remainder the next morning.

We next had a visit from a Lama, who appeared civil and intelligent. He
presented us with butter and _chura_ (cheese). He had travelled as far
as Calcutta in India, and was then on his way from Gartok to Lhassa.
Having an excellent pony, he expected to arrive there in four or five
days. Other Lamas and men who came to see us stated that they had come
from Lhassa in four days.

The natives, as usual, showed great reticence in giving us the name of
the encampment, some calling it Toxem, others Taddju. North of us was a
low pass in the hill range. As I had already seen as much as I wanted of
the Tibetans, it was my intention, if I succeeded in purchasing enough
provisions and ponies, to cross over this pass and proceed toward the
Sacred City, following a course on the northern side of the mountain
range. The highway to Lhassa was getting so thickly populated that I
thought it advisable in the future to travel through less inhabited
regions. I intended proceeding, dressed as a European, until within a
few miles of Lhassa. Then I would leave my two men concealed in some
secluded spot, and assuming a disguise, I would penetrate alone during
the night into the city. This would have been easy enough, as Lhassa
has no gates, and only a ruined wall round it.

I was able to purchase some clothing and boots from the Tibetans. The
pigtail that I needed in order to pass for a Tibetan I could make with
the silky hair of my yaks. I would pretend to be deaf and dumb, as I
could not speak the Tibetan language perfec