words of encouragement, the four messengers left on their
perilous errand. All seemed quiet around us, so quiet that I unburied my
sextant and artificial horizon and was taking astronomical observations
when a herd of over a hundred yaks appeared on the pass north of our
camp, and slowly advanced toward us. Were we discovered? Were the
Tarjum's men coming, preceded by their animals? No time was to be lost.
Instruments and blankets were quickly cleared away and hidden. Crawling
up toward the animals, that had stopped on seeing us, we threw stones at
them in order to drive them down the next creek. We were just in time to
do this and return to our hiding-place when we saw, on the summit of the
pass and on the other side, a number of Tibetans following the yaks we
had driven away. The Tibetans passed only a couple of hundred yards
below us, evidently quite unaware of our presence. They were apparently
looking for our tracks, for they often stooped to examine the ground.

Later in the afternoon I went to reconnoitre down the Gyanema road, in
the hope of watching, unseen, the Tibetans who passed on their way to
and from Taklakot. I saw no soldiers. A strong band of brigands, driving
before them thousands of sheep and yaks, was an interesting sight. The
bandits rode ponies, and obeyed their leader smartly when, in a hoarse
voice, and never ceasing to turn his prayer-wheel, he muttered orders.
They went briskly along, women and men riding their ponies astride. The
men had matchlocks and swords. Each pony carried, besides its rider,
bags of food slung behind the saddle. I watched the long procession from
behind rocks, and felt somewhat relieved when the last horsemen, who
passed only some twenty yards from me, rode away with the rest of the
caravan. I retraced my steps. Judging that this camp was not quite so
safe as I had at first imagined, I proceeded, with the aid of my men,
to make a rough intrenchment and to erect a wall round the platform,
sheltered by the projecting rock under which we lived. These bulwarks
hid us from the sight of passing Tibetans, and were serviceable as
fortifications in case of a night attack. All our things were buried a
short distance above our camp.

Another long, dreary day had passed. We had used our last grain of salt.
Yet another day on nettles alone, and a third day and a fourth on the
same diet! How sick we got of nettles! The days seemed endless as, lying
on a peak above our camp, I remaine