at the casual
way in which the Jong Pen of Taklakot had disposed of the bear-skin
before he had even caught the bear. The Lamas mistook me for a Hindoo
doctor, owing to the color of my face, which was sunburnt, and had long
remained unwashed. I wore no disguise. They thought that I was on a
pilgrimage round the Mansarowar Lake. They appeared anxious to know
whether illnesses were cured by occult science in India, or by medicine
only. I, who, on the other hand, was more interested in getting
information than in giving it, turned the conversation on the Lamas
themselves.

There are sects of red, yellow, white, and black Lamas. The red ones are
the older and more numerous throughout the country. Next to them come
the yellow Lamas, the _Gelupkas_, equally powerful in political and
religious matters, but not quite so numerous. The white Lamas and the
black Lamas, the _Julinba_, are the craftsmen in the monasteries. They
do the painting, printing, pottery, and the ornamentation of temples,
besides attending on the other Lamas and making themselves useful in the
capacities of cooks, shepherds, water-carriers, writers, and last, but
not least, executioners. The Lamaseries are usually rich. The Tibetans
are a deeply devout race, and the Lamas are not backward in extorting
money, under pretences of all kinds, from the ignorant worshippers.
Besides attending to their religious functions, the Lamas are traders.
They carry on a brisk money-lending business, charging a high interest,
which falls due every month. If this should remain unpaid, all the
property of the borrower is seized, and if insufficient to repay the
loan the debtor himself becomes a slave of the monastery. The well-fed
countenances of the Lamas are, with few exceptions, evident proof that
notwithstanding their occasional bodily privations, they do not allow
themselves to suffer in any way. They lead a smooth and comfortable
existence of comparative luxury.

The larger Lamaseries receive a yearly Government allowance.
Considerable sums are collected from offerings of the faithful, and
other moneys are obtained in all sorts of ways which, in any country
less religious than Tibet, would be considered dishonorable and even
criminal. In Tibet it is well known that, except in the larger towns,
nearly all people, excluding brigands and Lamas, are poor, while the
monks and their agents thrive on the fat of the land. The masses are
maintained in complete ignorance. Seldom