.]

[Footnote 4: See Chapter I.]

CHAPTER VII

AN EXCITING NIGHT JOURNEY

The hour fixed for my flight was 9 P.M. Five men had been induced to
follow me by the offer of a handsome reward.

At the appointed hour no one had put in an appearance. I went in search
of them. One man had purposely injured his feet and was disabled,
another professed to be dying, the others positively refused to
accompany me. All were shivering with fright and cold.

"Kill us, sahib, if you like," they implored of me, "but we will not
follow you."

At 3 A.M. all attempts to get even one man to carry a load had proved
futile. I had to abandon the idea of starting.

My prospects became gloomier than ever. Another march back toward the
cold and dreary pass by which I had entered Tibet!

"You are depressed, Mr. Landor," remarked the doctor.

I admitted the fact. Every step backward was to me like a stab in the
heart. My only wish was to push on at any cost, and it was only on
account of my good friend, the doctor, that I had reluctantly refrained
from making my way onward by force. My blood was boiling. The cowardice
of my men made them so contemptible in my eyes that I could not bear
even to look at them.

On this depressing march I walked alone ahead of my party. The rugged
way seemed short and easy. I found a suitable spot for our camp. Before
me and on every side stood high, snowy mountains. In front towered that
same Lumpiya Pass over which I had crossed into Tibet when my spirits
ran high and I had hopes of taking my entire expedition toward the
sacred city of Lhassa. I now hated the sight of those mountains.

Whether it is that storms come when one is depressed, or whether one
gets depressed when storms approach, I am not prepared to say. On this
occasion, when I was indeed very depressed, and before we had time to
pitch our tents, the wind, which had been high all through the
afternoon, increased tenfold. The clouds became black and threatening,
and snow soon fell in feathery flakes.

"What are you going to do?" inquired the doctor of me. "I think you had
better return to Garbyang, get fresh men, and make another start."

"No, doctor. I will die rather than continue this backward march. I have
resolved to start alone to-night. I am convinced that I shall have
better success. I shall find my way over the range."

"No, no, it is impossible, Mr. Landor!" cried the doctor, with tears in
his eyes. "That must mean death