There was, difficulty here in obtaining permission to go north from here to Chanhua and Kontzu." Ag a rule when a request is made that cannot be. granted, the official will ake all manner of polite but quite Ferelevant excuses. thet carry" no weight at, all, meaning thereby to indicate that the petitioner must recognize that permission cannot be given, "But that will never bluntly stated. Our Litang. hstenchang started in this manner, and doubtless We worried him by our imporiunaey. But the cause of science was not 10 be put off 80 lightly.
'Then came the amazing thing: doubtless, thoroughly exacerbated by' months of Litang's breathless altitude, force winds, dust and hall, the hsien chang discarded his polite equivoea-Yon "and told the truth. The Szechuen troops were practically powerless. Between Litang and Kantzu ere the domains of two. powerful Tu Se's; if he sent a Chinese guard with "us, these men would be" shot by, the Tibetans, and probably ourselves og. well. Conditions were just bad between Litang and Batang. Indeed there was a Chinese offeial walling to travel part of that road {one "who had, curiously enough, actually been convicted of fraudulent appropriation of-funds, and who was cing ven a Second chanee—in Both senses) to take up his new position. But negotiations ad not been <com~ pleted with the Tibetans, and so he was unable to travel.
The only part a stenchang could prudently take was to play up to the Strongest of the local" Tibetan Tu Se's, and $0 enjoy" strictly limited, Indeed vicarious, power. ven the head of the great" lamasery. could ive us no guarantee of a safe pass" age. The only. thing to do. was. 0 Into touch with the two FA Ses ask them to supply guards. This} they would do. on pretty sift pays ment; in other words, they would demand a tribute, Since this was the only way out wwe took the suggestion and thie meant a considerable delay. Finally' it was Gceided that we should pay 32 rupees et Litang and a further 40 rupees Heubsisungtu. This would entitle to guards from the Tu Se's, end the former, being. local men, would know all the local robbers ud tell them that we had paid our passage and were not to be molested, And so this was the meaning of Chinese Tibet! Tt" would be fairer to say "Szechuanjen" Tibet, for if once the Central Government troops take control, as I hear they were table to do for a short time following the chasing out of the Reds, doubt-ess the Chinese administration will longer be powerless there. "Can you wonder," a non-political official Asked us, "that local officials are cor= Frupt and powerless? All the funds for the improvement of Sikang go down the Szechuen drain on its way up here, Any day, moreover, moy sce the Central Government take over here. Without power and money, and the possibility of being fired' to~ morrow, what can a local magistrate. do but to-day to the most powerful of his opposition and pocket what ash he can?"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.