EXPLORATIONS IN MONGOLIA AND TIBET. 677 



another trail over the mountaius to the south, Avhich brought us out, 

 after four days of travel through the most beautiful scenery T know of 

 anywhere in Tibet, at the post station of Pung-de, the Pao-tun of the 

 Chinese. 



The worst pait of my long journey was now over, for from this ])oint 

 I travelled in comparative conifort, Avith an escort of ('hinese soldiers, 

 relays of pack and saddle horses, and houses every night to put up in; 

 though I still frequently preferred my tent, where I coukl enjoy some 

 l)rivacy and escape the attack of the fleas which swarm in all Tibetan 

 dwellings, to say nothing of rats and other vermin. 



The first town of any importance we came to after leaving Riwoch^ 

 was Draya, or Chamdun Draya as it is also called, the capital of an 

 ecclesiastical, semi-independent state, on an affluent of the Om ch'u, 

 which flows by Ch'amdo. 



The town is prettily situated on a gentle slope, the lamasery, as 

 usual, occupying the higher part of it, with a little plain in front, 

 beyond which flows the Ombo ch'u, here met by two other streams* 

 of considerable size. The crops were ripening and fields of barley 

 and wheat covered every little patch of ground susceptible of culti- 

 vation. On high frames, with which every country house is provided, 

 grass twiste.d in cables was drying for the winter's forage, and in 

 some places, where the high precipitous mountains did not over- 

 shadow the fields too much and the crops were early, barley, wheat, 

 and turnips, were already hanging on these frames, which are used 

 everywhere in Tibet for this purpose. 



Though I was very roughly received at Draya — in fact, in lieu of 

 fire-crackers I had a volley of stones let off at me as I entered the 

 town — I remained here for two days and gathered a good deal of inter- 

 esting information bearing on both the country and the ])eople, which 

 it is not possible to convey here, and for which I must refer the reader 

 to my complete report now in preparation. 



On the Oth of Septend)er, I left Draya, and after an interesting jour- 

 ney of five days, up hill and down dale, reached the important town of 

 Gartok, or Chiangka as it is called by the Chinese, the chief town of 

 the province of Merkani belonging to Lh'asa. It is curicms in this con- 

 nection to note that vassal states, governed by oflicials sent by Lh'asa, 

 are found scattered all over Tibet; the Nyarong or "arable lowlands of 

 the Nya River," the Tsarong, Riwoche, and innumerable localities in 

 southern and southeastern Tibet belong to this class. 



These districts have frequently given in their allegiance to Lh'asa (or 

 "tied their head," go-ta-tva, as they say) on account of similarity of re- 

 ligious beliefs. Sometimes, however, Lh'asa has got possession of them 

 through intrigues or open aggression. 



Gartok is an imi)ortant center for the musk trade, whidi of late years 

 has taken considerable extension. It has a nati\-e jxtpulation of al)Out 

 seven hundred, besides some two hundred or three hundred lamas. 



