tly enough to pass for a
native.

A good meal brought hope and high spirits. When I retired to sleep I saw
myself already inside the Sacred City walls.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 9: Religious fanatics.]

CHAPTER XVIII

CAPTURED

In the night I heard noises several times. I went out of my tent to look
for the disturbers, but failed to discover any one. This had become my
nightly experience, and I attached little importance to these sounds.

In the morning Ando and two or three Tibetans came to sell us provisions
and ponies. While my two servants and I were engaged in purchasing what
we required, I saw a number of villagers approaching in groups. Some
spun wool, others carried bags of _tsamba_ and flour, while others led a
number of ponies. Having purchased provisions to last us a couple of
months, we began the selection of mounts. Naturally my servants and
myself were overjoyed at our unexpected luck, after sufferings and
privations of all kinds, in finding ourselves confronted with abundance
of everything we could possibly desire. Chanden Sing and Mansing, who
were sportsmen of the very first order, delighted at the prospect of
getting animals, rode first one pony and then another to suit
themselves. Chanden Sing, having selected a handsome beast, called me to
examine it before paying over the purchase-money. Unsuspecting of foul
play, and also because it would not have been convenient to try the
various lively ponies with my rifle slung over my shoulder, I walked
unarmed to the spot, about a hundred yards away from my tent, where the
restless animal was being held for my inspection. The natives followed
behind me, but such a thing being common in any country when one buys a
horse in public, I thought nothing of it. As I stood with my hands
behind my back, I well recollect the expression of delight on Chanden
Sing's face when I approved of his choice. As is generally the case on
such occasions, the people collected in a crowd behind me expressed in a
chorus their gratuitous opinion on the superiority of the steed
selected. I had just stooped to examine the pony's fore legs when I was
suddenly seized from behind by several persons, who grabbed me by the
neck, wrists, and legs, and threw me down on my face. I struggled and
fought until I shook off some of my assailants and regained my feet; but
others rushed up, and I was surrounded by some thirty men, who attacked
me from every side. They clung to me with