ge At Dung Golok the plain ends and alter a pretty ride along a well-wooded but narrowing valley, the ascent of the second pass begins. Beautiful woods cover the mountain sides, and many a cosy poetic spot for a summer camp is pasied and noted. Wood, water, game, and other supplies are all around one, and a quiet that a hermit might envy. The ascent is easy, road and outlook grander with' every ep. There are really two summits with a rolling prairie between, where the autumn flowers were their wildest profusion of both form and colour—blue predomi It was impossible to keep up with the caravan, A dozen forms of floral beauty decoyed one aside, and the pony, nothing loth, luxurinted in the unlimited grass, All this time the muleteers ad' been urging the baggage animals forward though it was understood that we should ti the top, still we followed on expecting to see them turned out beyond the second summit. Arriving there no sign of them was to be seen anywhere, Below us Jay a tangle of valleys and wide stretches of forest, with two roads but no living being in sight.' By great good luck we took the right road and followed down the mountain side, our hunger augmenting at every step and temper ditto. Down into the depth of noiseless forest where the green waving moss festooned the arms of the giant firs and turned the whole scene into fairy land, but no sound of the mules and no sight of tiffin. We could not go beyond a walk, the road was too steep, and presently the unwelcome suggestion forced itself in, that perhaps this was the wrong road—if that zigzag among the trees could be called a road—and the caravan might be miles off man unknown direction. There was no help for it but to goon with the road growing wilder all the way and no outlook. At last we came on theat a little angle in the woods where there was water for us and grass for the animals, and a whole army of smiles to dissipate our anger. It did not go however till the tea and ¢samba filled the empty space and drove the chi (anger) out. Tt was all down hill from this point to the valley of the Nyarung. Several little hamlets are passed, but all are poor. At one point there is a' fine octagonal tower—P'ai Chia Lou—built in other days to defend the country against the Chinese. But the conquerors are now in the land and a farmer uses the lower story for domestic purposes.
As the valley narrows, the road grows worse, but wherever there is leisure enough to look at the fort around, one forgets China and the incidentals of travel in the "fall_glories" which so vividly recall the autumn days of New England avd the beauties of an "Indian Summer." Maple, birch, poplar, just as one has seen them when the first touch of winter dresses them all in gold, while the deeper greens of the firs, the dark reds and browns of shrubs and creepers are all blended to produce a glory. And so we came to Hokou or Nyarung, " decadent town of forty families of mixed marriages, squatting and crowded beside the Nyarung river. There is a good ferry here, the result of Chinese skill, but beyond that no traffic finds a place on the river, which is too full of rapids to any use. Small roads, little used, ran both north and south, but the main road continues across the river and steadily west. We stayed one night and were up early to arrange the start next morning, We might have known better however. "At daylight sure" was the promise made by the red-tasselled underlings from the—no delay"—but when we had leisurely breakfasted and put our traps together thera was much genuflecting and "pray, your excellencies, be seated for a wee while, and we'll be right back;" and so they disappeared and so we waited. Time an again we sent to urge: them to be qui "AI right we've already come," was the answer returned but there was no: sign. At last we demanded and held out all kinds of terrors—bluff, pure bluff! But it fetched the men. And now we learned that, no animals were to be had on this side of the river, we must cross, and on the other side men and mules would be awaiting us. We got on to the boat by degrees and wera ferried over, and now the true situation became apparent—there was an official—a small creature to every one save himself—who had to be gotten off that morning and we of course must wait. There he was in the blazing sunshine, sporting a fur coat and a long red flannel hood as died down to the river side with a weight of refection against the wind! And he wad-
dignity that would have crushed another man.
Arrived on the other side we were shown into a Tibetan's house and asked to stay for the day, as " paying guests" of course, whi the tardy Tibetans went off to seek' animals for which they had already received the pay. Not step would they stir till ay the money was in hand. We took all the risk. But here we drew the line and insisted on going, so about halfprst eleven we got away with the sorriest assortment of animals I have ever travelled with. The roat was heartbreaking. Over rocks and tree roots, through a gloomy forest where there was not room enough for the torrent and the road in some places; some one must give way and it was not_the torrent. The road suffered in consequence. By dusk just as a pattering rain began to fall we made Mal-goh-dering the end of this day's stage, to find our official friend in great state because the man we sent ahead had secured the best inn and "his excellency" had to take second choice.
Next morning the landscape was covered snow, which while it added beauty to scene also added to the difficulties of the road.
As we filed out of the hamlet we passed under a rude wooden arch (paotow) the transverse beam cut deep with Tibetan characters. These are said to be i vocations to the popular gods of Tibet. One to Jam-ram, the guardian god of China and its Emperor: one to Jenresig, the patron God of Tibet of whom the Dal: Lama is the incarnation: and one to Chakdor, the rewarder of good and punisher of evil.
The road still continued through the forest and wound steadily up. Among the trees the ila were calling and several coveys stayed by the roadside till we came up to them and then moved off lazily among the trees. The summit was bleak and cold with nothing to lure one to stay, only fog and snow. On the further side is the lamasery of Sui Golok overlooking the valley of the same name. One cantlet but praise the monks for their sagacity in choosing the ites of the monasteries. The situation of is one is superb and well secured from any invasion of curious eyes. - But
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.