us was a Buddhist monastery.
I was glad when he told us of it, giving the place the name of a
well-known Nepaulese village; for, to say the truth, I was beginning
to get frightened. Judging by the sun, for I had brought no compass,
it struck me that we seemed to have been marching almost due north
ever since we left Toloo; and I fancied such a line of march must have
brought us by this time suspiciously near the Tibetan frontier. Now, I
had no desire to be "skinned alive," as Sir Ivor put it. I did not wish
to emulate St. Bartholomew and others of the early Christian martyrs;
so I was pleased to learn that we were really drawing near to Kulak, the
first of the Nepaulese Buddhist monasteries to which our well-informed
guide, himself a Buddhist, had promised to introduce us.

We were tramping up a beautiful high mountain valley, closed round on
every side by snowy peaks. A brawling river ran over a rocky bed in
cataracts down its midst. Crags rose abruptly a little in front of us.
Half-way up the slope to the left, on a ledge of rock, rose a long, low
building with curious, pyramid-like roofs, crowned at either end by
a sort of minaret, which resembled more than anything else a huge
earthenware oil-jar. This was the monastery or lamasery we had come so
far to see. Honestly, at first sight, I did not feel sure it was worth
the trouble.

Our guide called a halt, and turned to us with a sudden peremptory air.
His servility had vanished. "You stoppee here," he said, slowly, in
broken English, "while me-a go on to see whether Lama-sahibs ready to
take you. Must ask leave from Lama-sahibs to visit village; if no
ask leave"--he drew his hand across his throat with a significant
gesture--"Lama-sahibs cuttee head off Eulopean."

"Goodness gracious!" Lady Meadowcroft cried, clinging tight to Hilda.
"Miss Wade, this is dreadful! Where on earth have you brought us to?"

"Oh, that's all right," Hilda answered, trying to soothe her, though she
herself began to look a trifle anxious. "That's only Ram Das's graphic
way of putting things."

We sat down on a bank of trailing club-moss by the side of the rough
track, for it was nothing more, and let our guide go on to negotiate
with the Lamas. "Well, to-night, anyhow," I exclaimed, looking up, "we
shall sleep on our own mattresses with a roof over our heads. These
monks will find us quarters. That's always something."

We got out our basket and made tea. In all moments of doubt, your