d hour after hour scanning with my
telescope the long plateau above the Gakkon River in search of our
expected messengers. Every time I saw men in the distance my heart
leaped, but on focussing them with my glass they turned out to be Jogpas
(bandits), or Dogpas (nomad tribes of smugglers), or travelling Humlis
or Jumlis, on their way to Gyanema and Gartok. As time went on and the
messengers did not put in an appearance, we began to entertain doubts as
to their safety. Would they betray us and never return? Or had they been
caught by the Jong Pen (the Master of the fort), and been imprisoned and
tortured?

My Indian servant declined to eat any more nettles. He said it was
better not to eat at all than to eat the same thing constantly. He
declared he could fast for ten days, and would make up for the lack of
food by sleeping.

My fortified abode was comfortable enough during the morning when the
sun shone on it. Often when the rock had absorbed a good deal of heat,
it got so warm that we had to abandon it in the middle of the day, when
the thermometer registered as much as 120 deg., 122 deg., and even 124
deg. From 1 P.M. till ten o'clock at night a bitter wind blew from the
south-east and seemed to get right into our bones. So cold was this
wind that the temperature suddenly dropped down to 60 deg., and even
lower, the moment the sun disappeared behind the mountains, and
continued to fall as low as 40 deg., 34 deg., and 32 deg. during the
night. One night we had a terrific gale and a snow-storm. Such was the
force of the wind that our wall was blown down upon us as we slept under
its shelter. The hours we had hoped to rest had to be spent in repairing
the damage done.

On the following morning we were gathering nettles for our meal when we
heard the distant tinkling of fast-approaching horse-bells. We quickly
put out the fires, hid our things, and hastened behind our bulwarks. I
seized my rifle. Chanden Sing loaded the Martini. A Shoka, who was too
far off to reach our fortified abode in time, screened himself behind
some rocks. In the nick of time! Half a dozen soldiers, with matchlocks
to which were attached red flags, were cantering gayly up the hillside
only a few yards in front of us. They were undoubtedly searching for me.
They looked in every direction, but fortunately never turned their eyes
toward the castle walls that concealed us. Perhaps they were expecting
to see a large European tent in one of the valle