re here removed, and we enjoyed comparative freedom, though four men
walked by my side wherever I went, and an equal number looked after
Chanden Sing and Mansing. Naturally we were not allowed to go far from
the _serai_, but we could stroll about in the village. I took this
opportunity to have a swim in the Mansarowar Lake. Chanden Sing and
Mansing again paid fresh salaams to the gods, and also plunged into the
sacred waters.

The local Lamas, who had been friendly during my former visit, were now
extremely sulky and rude. Having witnessed our arrival, they withdrew
into the monastery, slamming the gate after them. All the villagers,
too, hastily retired to their respective houses. The place looked
deserted with the exception of the soldiers round us.

Poor Mansing, who, worn out and in great pain, was sitting close by me,
looking vaguely at the lake, had an extraordinary vision, the result,
probably, of fever or exhaustion.

"Oh, sir," said he, as if in a dream, though he was quite awake, "look,
look! Look at the crowd of people walking on the water! There must be
more than a thousand men! Oh, how big they are getting!... And there is
God!... No; they are Tibetans; they are coming to kill us; they are
Lamas! Oh, come, sahib, they are near!... Oh, they are flying!..."

"Where are they?" I asked.

"They have all disappeared!" he exclaimed, as I placed my hand on his
forehead and he woke from his trance.

I could see that the poor fellow was under an hallucination. His
forehead was burning, and he had a high fever.

He seemed quite stupefied for a few moments. On my inquiring of him
later whether he had seen the phantom crowd again, he could not remember
ever having seen it at all.

The natives came to visit us in the _serai_ during the evening. We had
great fun with them. The Tibetans were full of humor and had comical
ways. Now that we were only two marches from Taklakot, it was but
natural that our spirits were high. Only two more days of captivity, and
then a prospect of freedom!

It was still dark when we were roused and ordered to start. The soldiers
dragged us out of the _serai_. We entreated them to let us have another
plunge in the sacred Mansarowar, and the three of us were eventually
allowed to do so. The water was bitterly cold, and we had nothing to dry
ourselves with.

It was about an hour before sunrise when we were placed on our yaks and,
surrounded by some thirty soldiers, rode off.

When we