hen stuffed into
my mouth with his fingers.

It was really touching to see how, moved to kindness, the soldiers
imitated his example, and, one after the other, produced handfuls of
_tsamba_ and _chura_, and deposited them in my mouth. Their hands were
not over-clean, but on such occasions it does not do to be too
particular. I was so hungry that the food they gave me seemed delicious.
I had been for two nights and one day without food, and, what with the
exertion of the fight and my various exciting experiences during that
time, my appetite was very keen.

The great politeness and consideration with which not only the Rupun,
but even the soldiers, now treated me made me suspect that my end was
near. I was grieved not to be able to obtain news of Chanden Sing and
Mansing. The soldiers' reticence in answering questions regarding them
made me fear that something terrible had happened. Nevertheless, though
my jailers were friendly, I did not betray anxiety, but pretended to
take all that came as a matter of course. I spent the first portion of
the day in a lively conversation with the soldiers, partly to divert my
thoughts and partly to improve my knowledge of Tibetan.

CHAPTER XX

A TERRIBLE RIDE

Early in the afternoon a soldier entered the tent, and striking me on
the shoulder with his heavy hand, shouted:

"_Ohe!_" (This is a Tibetan exclamation always used by the rougher
classes when beginning a conversation. It corresponds to "Look here.")

"_Ohe!_" repeated he; "before the sun goes down you will be flogged,
both your legs will be broken,[12] they will burn out your eyes, and
then they will cut off your head!"

The man, who seemed quite in earnest, accompanied each sentence with an
appropriate gesture to illustrate his words. I laughed at him and
affected to treat the whole thing as a joke, partly because I thought
this was the best way to frighten them, and partly because the programme
thus laid before me seemed so extensive that I thought it could only be
intended to intimidate me.

The words of the soldier cast a gloom over my friendly guard in the
tent. When I tried to cheer them up, they answered bluntly that I would
not laugh for very long. Something was certainly happening. The men
rushed in and out of the tent and whispered among themselves. When I
spoke to them they would answer no more, and on my insisting to receive
an answer they made signs that their lips must from now be closed.

Abo