depended to their breasts long multicolored
ribbons, covered with inscriptions. Their masks were white
death's-heads. Slowly they marched about the masts, stretching out their
arms from time to time and flourishing with their left hands
spoon-shaped objects, the bowl portions of which were said to be
fragments of human crania, with ribbons attached, having affixed to
their ends human hair, which, I was assured, had been taken from scalped
enemies. Their promenade, in gradually narrowing circles about the
masts, soon became merely a confused jostling of each other; when the
rolling of the drum grew more accentuated, the performers for an instant
stopped, then started again, swinging above their heads yellow sticks,
ribbon-decked, which with their right hands they brandished in menacing
attitudes.

After making a salute to the chief lama, they approached the door
leading to the temple, which at this instant opened, and from it another
band came forth, whose heads were covered by copper masks. Their dresses
were of rich materials, embroidered in various bright colors. In one
hand each of them carried a small tambourine and with the other he
agitated a little bell. From the rim of each tambourine depended a
metallic ball, so placed that the least movement of the hand brought it
in contact with the resonant tympanum, which caused a strange,
continuous undercurrent of pulsating sound. There new performers circled
several times about the court, marking the time of their dancing steps
by measured thumpings of the tambourines. At the completion of each
turn, they made a deafening noise with their instruments. Finally, they
ran to the temple door and ranged themselves upon the steps before it.

For a moment, there was silence. Then we saw emerge from the temple a
third band of performers. Their enormous masks represented different
deities, and each bore upon its forehead "the third eye." At their head
marched Thlogan-Poudma-Jungnas (literally "he who was born in the lotus
flower"). Another richly dressed mask marched beside him, carrying a
yellow parasol covered with symbolic designs. His suite was composed of
gods, in magnificent costumes; Dorje-Trolong and Sangspa-Kourpo (_i.e._,
Brahma himself), and others. These masks, as a lama sitting near me
explained to us, represented six classes of beings subject to the
metamorphoses; the gods, the demigods, men, animals, spirits and demons.

On each side of these personages, who adv