174 A THIBETAN INTERLUDE 



though the httle village for which we were bound 

 is but a few miles distant from Taochow, where 

 the civil official, its nominal ruler, resides, his real 

 authority could not have been more ineffectually 

 displayed had it been hundreds of miles farther 

 west. 



The Wall, of course, at which a poll tax of 5 cash 

 per head is levied on every passing Chinese and 

 Thibetan traveller, marks no real change of country. 

 High, grassy hills sloped steeply to a little burn. 

 The lower slopes were cultivated, and on these 

 enormous bundles of straw, apparently of their own 

 volition, wandered aimlessly about. It was not 

 until, with long-drawn yells, their owners drove 

 the yaks which bore them down the valley, that 

 one realised the motive power. Two or three 

 villages clustered near the valley's mouth, and from 

 every yard dogs barked at the passer-by. Big 

 brutes, half mastiff, half coUie, they are, when free, 

 a great nuisance to travellers. 



One came charging out at George's pony, but a 

 passing Thibetan mounted on a shaggy little steed 

 dashed up, and, from a regular arsenal of stones 

 secreted round his waist, hurled volleys at the 

 brute, making excellent shooting with his left 

 hand. 



A little farther on we came upon yak-hair tents, 

 low, black structures, v/ith the inevitable dogs on 

 guard, and little round patches of dung, drying 

 for fuel. The road was good, the grass hills rising 

 to about 2,000 ft. on either side. At times one 

 had but to look back from the patient string of 

 donkeys to imagine oneself back among the high 

 peaty tops of any Inverness-shire deer forest. 



