DISLIKE TO FOREIGNERS 177 



We woke late the next morning, and during 

 breakfast various reports announced that the head- 

 men were complaining at our presence. The 

 doctor and his companions had met with a similar 

 reception on a previous visit, so we were not quite 

 unprepared. The real trouble, however, began 

 when we tried to get guides to show us the best 

 gazelle ground. We were met with a flat refusal. 

 The " Living Buddha " of the local monastery 

 had, it appeared, issued a prohibition against the 

 killing of any animal ; an infraction of his decree 

 would, we were told, result in a recurrence of 

 the cattle disease, which had been very preva- 

 lent, and of which the inhabitants stood in mortal 

 dread. 



We argued that such a prohibition did not 

 extend to foreigners, and that we would go and 

 find the gazelle ourselves, after an interview with 

 the Buddha. This gentleman, it transpired, had 

 gone on a pilgrimage to Lhasa three months 

 previously, leaving no one with any authority to 

 remove the ban. He had also taken with him the 

 small local official to whom our escort — a solitary 

 half-bred Chinese -Thibetan soldier — had been 

 properly accredited by the official at Taochow. 

 This was cheek with a vengeance, as the headmen, 

 particularly one grey-haired old ruffian, absolutely 

 refused to let us stir from the inn. They said that 

 if we did, and killed gazelle, the local cattle- 

 breeders — semi-nomads — would descend on the 

 village and wreak their vengeance on them and 

 their people. We asked for a representative cattle- 

 breeder, and were finally checkmated by being told 

 that it was impossible to know where such a person 



