We had softied that Yongden and I would meet beyond the frontier at a place northward of the upper Lamaist monastery of Jukendo. courss of the Salwen Rive certainly far from that we were still lingering in Chinese 'Tibet, and would continue to proceed. It would not be easy to join riders who had several hours' advance on us. Still, as they were compelled to ride slowly on account of the pack animals and to camp in the day to let the beasts graze, we expected to meet them before long.
After a long march we saw, at night, a fire burning in a sheltered spot.' Travellers are few in these regions, especially during the cold season, and we at once supposed that our friends were there. Coming nearer we saw that we had not made a mistake, Like hungry wolves that covet well-guarded prey, we advanced cautiously toward the camp. T did rot see Lama! 'Yongden, who was in the tent, but, near the fire, Dawa' was cooking the meal, chanting some pious invocation ' to Dolma. The flames bint up, and, to our horror, we saw: the long rosary hung to his neck. Repressing our exclamation of bitter. disappointment, we retreated in the dark.
"This time," I told my servant, "we will continue ahead and camp near their road if we can find a hidden, and where they will pass by, Tomorrow I shall try to get!
Overcome by tiredness we slept too late that morning: when we joke and looked at the road the caravan hed already gone. We could faintly distinguish on the top of a hill the line formed by the mules to cross to the other Sorrowfully we ate the last piece of butter that remained from the wreck of our loads in the Mekong. Nothing was left in our bags beside 'a small quantity of tea. We started in haste. Tt was most urgent to! find a way, to get food.
Yongdeo, for some reason that we could not guess, had that day Iakedvearly, near stream and we saw his tent in middle of the afternoon. "We will walt till after sunset," said I to Thobgyal, "and when it will have become impossi-Ue to observe us from fur, you will go to them, inquire about the danger that threatens us, and get some food." Alas! the news he Te-ported me s-few hours later was Sooat discouraging. A> he war nearing the camp be lad seen t¥0 cow-men seated drinking tea
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.