l to turn to
the right. I wished to turn my horse to the left, but the Ladakians made
him go back and led him by his halter to the right, explaining to me
that such was their established usage. I found it impossible to learn
the origin or reason of this custom.

Above the gonpa rises a battlemented tower, visible from a great
distance. We climbed, on foot, to the level on which the edifice stands
and found ourselves confronted by a large door, painted in brilliant
colors, the portal of a vast two-story building enclosing a court paved
with little pebbles. To the right, in one of the angles of the court, is
another huge painted door, adorned with big copper rings. It is the
entrance to the principal temple, which is decorated with paintings of
the principal gods, and contains a great statue of Buddha and a
multitude of sacred statuettes. To the left, upon a verandah, was placed
an immense prayer-cylinder. All the lamas of the convent, with their
chief, stood about it, when we entered the court. Below the verandah
were musicians, holding long trumpets and drums.

At the right of the court were a number of doors, leading to the rooms
of the lamas; all decorated with sacred paintings and provided with
little prayer-barrels fancifully surmounted by black and white tridents,
from the points of which floated ribbons bearing inscriptions--doubtless
prayers. In the centre of the court were raised two tall masts, from the
tops of which dangled tails of yaks, and long paper streamers floated,
covered with religious inscriptions. All along the walls were numerous
prayer-barrels, adorned with ribbons.

A profound silence reigned among the many spectators present. All
awaited anxiously the commencement of a religious "mystery," which was
about to be presented. We took up a position near the verandah. Almost
immediately, the musicians drew from their long trumpets soft and
monotonous tones, marking the time by measured beats upon an odd-looking
drum, broad and shallow, upreared upon a stick planted in the ground. At
the first sounds of the strange music, in which joined the voices of the
lamas in a melancholy chant, the doors along the wall opened
simultaneously, giving entrance to about twenty masked persons,
disguised as animals, birds, devils and imaginary monsters. On their
breasts they bore representations of fantastic dragons, demons and
skulls, embroidered with Chinese silk of various colors. From the
conical hats they wore,