A few days only after that incident we were again told of a ponpo._ That one was crossing the range which we had just begun to ascend, The news terrified us. No escape }was possible. The path was cut in steep slope that did not offer any hiding place. The coming official would see us both. No doubt he would question us.
These Lhasa men, of whom a large number go in the English tations in the Himalayas and even {to India, have many opportunities to see white people and are much more clever than the common folk of Eastern or Northern Tibet in de-|1 tecting them. Anyhow we could not escape the meeting.
We spent a few hours of terrible mental agony, climbing that white sandy path, listening for a noise to lowered by, it seemed, a feeling of] grew greater hour after hour. reverence, I implored a charity.
Alms to a Bergar "Kusho rimpoche, riga tso la solar nang Togs nang!" ("Noble Sir, give us alms, please!")
voice broke the concentration of the group. even felt physically the relaxation.
The Tibetans had] ost their suspicious manner. Some laughed. The good official took a coin in his purse and banded it to companion.
"Mother!" exclaimed Yongden, simulating a most happy surprise, "look what the pongo gives us!"
I manifested my joy in a way fitting my assumed personality, with a wish—very sincere at the bottom of my heart—for his prosperity and jong life, My benefactor smiled at me and I—with whatever inner jeer answered the favour of his smile with the most respectful of Tibetan salutes, I put out my tongue as far as I could extend it, '"Jetsunma" (reverend lady), said Yongden, a few minutes later, "you truth indeed when you told nie, in the forests of Kha Karpo, tha you would make them dream and see mirages.' No doubt that fat fellow and his retainers, who looked so long at you, have been 'A new alarm led us a few weeks!
Hnown it the day before, we would have travelled at night but, now that nothing could mend our mi take, we could only trust our zood later to leave the pleasant valley of the turquoise bh Na River, ita natural parks and evergreen to throw ourselves once more in the wilds. my custom, I continued to walk, slowly ahead while Yongden was! talking: with the men. When he re-Joined me, he was more frightened than T had ever seen him, "Who knows if they have pot seen you when you went there with Thobgyal? You are quite famous in that region."
Riwoche was a place where I had stayed twice during my previous in Tibet from the "iron Our fear grew. It At the sight of each group of men or women which happened to be on the road we were trembling, thi ing of the ultimate catastrophe we expected soon. Really we were on the way to madness.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.