en.

A fresh surprise was awaiting us when we rose. Two Tibetans disguised as
beggars came to our camp. They pretended to be suffering from cold and
starvation. I gave orders that they should be properly fed and kindly
treated. On being cross-examined they confessed that they were spies
sent by the officer at Gyanema to find out whether a white man had
crossed the frontier, and whether we had seen him.

We had so many things to attend to in the morning, and it was so cold,
that washing had really become a nuisance. I, for my part, gave it up,
at least for the time. We were sunburnt, and we wore turbans and
snow-glasses, so the Tibetans departed under the impression that our
party consisted of a Hindoo doctor, his brother, and a caravan of
servants (none of whom had seen a white man), and that we were now on a
pilgrimage to the sacred Mansarowar Lake and Kelas Mount.

In the presence of the men we treated this as a great joke, but, all
the same, Wilson and I anxiously consulted as to our immediate plans.
Should we make a rapid march during the night over the mountain range to
our right, and strike east by the wilds, or should we face the Gyanema
leader and his soldiers?

We decided to meet them rather than go out of our way. I gave orders to
break camp at once.

CHAPTER V

WARNED BACK BY SOLDIERS

We altered our course from north to north-east, rising to 16,600 feet.
We arrived at Lama Chokten, a pass protected by a Tibetan guard. The
soldiers quickly turned out, matchlocks in hand. They seemed a miserable
lot. They offered no resistance, but begged for money and food. The men
complained of ill-treatment from their superiors. They received no pay,
and even food was only occasionally sent to them at this outpost. Their
tunics were in rags. Each man carried a sword stuck in front through the
girdle. Here, too, we had more inquiries about the young sahib, the
white man. Messengers on horseback had been sent post-haste from
Taklakot to warn the Gyanema officer not to let him penetrate into
Hundes (the Tibetan name for Tibet) should he attempt to come by the
Lumpiya Pass. Their description of my supposed appearance was amusing
enough to me, and when they said that if the sahib came their way they
would cut off his head, I felt so touched by their good-natured
confidence that I wanted to distribute a few rupees among them.

"Don't give them anything, sir," said Kachi and the doctor. "These
fellows are friends