TANDUP, MY GUIDE 307 



The valley is broad, open, and well cultivated. The village 

 could not have been a mile away, but it was hidden by a 

 spur of the hill. It was to avoid approaching this village 

 that I was being taken this roundabout way. Tandup 

 went to pay his friends a final visit before starting on this 

 journey ; he came back full of chhang, and hardly able to 

 walk, but in the highest spirits. He said he had to take 

 a sleep on the road, as he could not manage to get along. 

 His advent was heralded by shouts, songs, and whistling, 

 some time before he appeared in person. He was exceed- 

 ingly communicative, if one could only have understood 

 him. He and Yakiib became great friends, but, in the 

 absence of a common language, intercourse was limited. 



The next march was up stream and up the hillside. 

 This roundabout way might have been avoided by coming 

 down from camp at Naniitatto, crossing the stream and 

 going straight up ; but Tibetans hate getting wet, and this 

 detour was made to take advantage of the aforesaid boulder 

 bridge. The ascent took us five hours — it was gradual, 

 but very trying. We halted on the ridge and had break- 

 fast, with melted snow for tea. Tandup was awfully done ; 

 he said he was hungry, but he breasted the hill like a 

 thorough highlander. After breakfast we went down the 

 ridge on the other side, and came to a stream which runs 

 into that which descends from the Giigerang Pass, opposite 

 Nanutatto. I had a stalk early in the morning after some 

 wild sheep, but they had the advantage, and got away. 

 Descending towards camp in the evening, I saw eight 

 splendid old rams grazing on the opposite slope : their 

 coats were of a slatey colour, and they had fine heads ; but 

 the country was so open that they soon saw us and were 

 quickly out of sight. 



I followed them up next morning, and sighted five of 

 them high up in the valley on a stony hill, but they were 



