in coat to make the silver shine. She instantly became calm, and
rubbing the coin until it was quite bright, she raised her fiery eyes,
staring into mine, and put out her tongue to express her thanks.

Kachi and Dola, who knew Tibetan well, were now summoned to address the
bandits for me; but these two Shokas were in such terror that they could
hardly walk, much less speak. After a while, however, seeing how well I
had these terrible people under control, they were able to translate.

"I want them to sell me some yaks and some ponies," I said. "I will pay
handsomely for them."

"They say they cannot. The Tarjum will cut their heads off if he comes
to know it. They will only sell one or two yaks."

"Very good. How much do they want?"

"Two hundred silver rupees. But," added Dola, "sir, do not give them
more than forty. That is a great deal more than they are worth. A good
yak costs from ten to sixteen rupees."

After some three or four hours' bargaining, during which time the
bandits descended gradually from two hundred rupees to forty, and I rose
from twenty to that figure, we at last agreed, amid the greatest
excitement on both sides, that their two best yaks should be my
property. Becoming quite friendly, they also sold me pack-saddles and
sundry curiosities. They gave me tea and _tsamba_. The fiery woman had
still a peculiar way of keeping her eyes fixed on my baggage. Her
longing for my property seemed to increase when she saw me pay for the
yaks and suspected that I must have a good deal of money. If she kept
one eye on my goods, I kept both there. I took good care that my rifle
was never out of my hand, and that no one ever came too near me from
behind.

We counted the money down, some fifty rupees, including all purchases.
Each coin was passed round and sounded by each of our sellers, and when
the entire sum was handed over the coins were passed back and recounted,
so that there should be no mistake. Time in Tibet is not money, and my
readers must not be surprised when I tell them that counting,
recounting, and sounding the small amount took two more hours. The two
yaks were eventually handed over to us--one, a huge, long-haired black
animal, restless and powerful; the other equally black, strong, and
hairy, but somewhat gentler.

To catch them, separate them from the herd, pass ropes through their
respective nostrils, and tie pack-saddles on their backs, were all
operations we as novices had to master.