he trembling coolies. The Magbun and
the Tarjum's officers could hardly believe their eyes. The soldiers
quickly dismounted and laid their weapons down, to show that they had no
intention of fighting. We passed without taking notice of them. The
Magbun ran after me. He begged me to stop one moment. A pair of prettily
embroidered cloth boots were produced from the loose folds of the
official's coat, and he offered them to me with the following words:

"Though your face is sunburnt and black, and your eyes are sore" (they
were not, as a matter of fact, but I wore snow-spectacles), "your
features tell me that you are of good family. You must be a high officer
in your country. Your noble feelings also show that you would not have
us punished for your sake, and now our hearts are glad to see you
retrace your steps. Let me offer you these boots, so that your feet may
not get sore on the long and difficult journey back to your native
land."

It was neatly put, though the mode of reasoning was peculiar. I accepted
the boots. The Magbun and his guard salaamed to the ground.

Without further parleying we left the Magbun, and, retracing our steps,
proceeded in a west-south-west direction, as though we had decided to
turn back and leave the country.

We reached the summit of the hill and crossed to the other side. My men
went on down the slope, but I remained, hidden behind a large stone, to
observe with my telescope the people at Gyanema. No sooner had my last
man disappeared on the other side of the pass than the cavalrymen jumped
into their saddles, and, raising clouds of dust, galloped after us. This
was what I had expected. I hastened to rejoin my men. When down in the
plain, I again took my telescope and watched the sky-line of the hill we
had just descended. Some thirty heads could be seen peeping over the
rocks from among the boulders. The soldiers had evidently dismounted
and were spying our movements. I felt annoyed that they did not openly
follow us. I sighted my rifle to eight hundred yards, lay down flat, and
took aim at a figure I could see more plainly than the others.

The doctor snatched the rifle from my shoulder.

"You must not shoot," said he, with his usual calmness; "you might kill
somebody."

"I only wish to teach those cowards a lesson."

"That is all very well. But every man in Tibet is so cowardly that the
lesson would have to be constantly repeated," answered Wilson, with his
unfailing wisdom.