left bare; but when standing, one arm, usually
the left, was slipped in, to prevent the coat and its heavy contents
falling off.

That the Jogpas had good digestions was evident from the way they ate,
when, having concluded the sale of the yaks, they squatted down to a
hearty meal of _tsamba_, _chura_ (cheese), and tea. They took from their
coats their wooden and metal _pu-kus_ (bowls), and quickly filled them
with _tsamba_, pouring over it steaming tea mixed, as usual, with butter
and salt in a churn. With their dirty fingers they stirred the mixture
in the bowl until a paste was formed, which they rolled into a ball and
ate. The same operation was repeated over and over again. Each time,
before refilling, the bowl was licked clean by rotating the _pu-ku_
round the tongue. Feeling the heat of the sun after their meal, both men
and women removed some of their garments, showing ornaments of gold,
silver, and copper encircling their necks.

The women of the bandits, though far from beautiful, possessed a certain
charm, due entirely to their wildness. Unlike most Tibetan women, they
had good teeth. Their complexion was not specially dark. Only the black
ointment, with which their cheeks, noses, and foreheads were smeared,
made them appear darker than they really were, and was decidedly
unbecoming. They had regular features. Their eyes and mouths were full
of expression. Twisted into numberless little plaits, the hair was
brought up and fastened over the head. A red turban kept the plaits in
position, and was raised so as to show another row of little plaits
decorating the forehead. The end of each of these plaits was joined to
its immediate neighbor. These ladies wore large ear-rings of gold inlaid
with malachite.

The children were talkative, and acted like grown-up people. They wore
swords in their belts, even at the early age of eight or ten years.

In a basket that had been carried on one of the yaks I saw an infant a
few months old. His superstitious mother snatched the child away in
horror when I caressed him, and washed and rubbed the poor little
fellow's face until the skin was sore, declaring that children died who
were touched by strangers.

The men were just as superstitious. When I wished to buy some rice from
them, they would not let me handle it till it had become my property.
They objected each time that I stretched out my arm to touch the bag of
rice, and eventually showed me a handful of rice at a di