310 CAPTIVITY AND EELEASE 



(lord of all the district) being conveniently packed off in 

 disgrace two days before. Our great ally was the Tchebu 

 Lama, the Eajah's representative at Campbell's court, a 

 man of intelligence and vigour, who had been dreadfully 

 misused in Sikkim by the enemies of the English who sur- 

 round the Bajah's park. This man we absolved from all 

 participation and consequences, offering him an asylum 

 and provision at Darjiling should the worst come to pass. 



On the Border we were met by two Thibetan Sepas, 

 who made a terrible row and endeavoured to stop us, with- 

 out laying hands however on our bridles. They met us in 

 Sikkim, swore that it was Bhota (Thibet alias Cheen), a 

 lie of which we took advantage when really across the 

 border. Then a terrible row was kicked up and the Cheen 

 camp came out running after us with boots, matchlocks, &c. 

 The Lama and Phipun both got frightened and implored 

 us to stop for a conference, to which Campbell properly 

 acceded, and I put spurs to my pony and galloped ahead on 

 to the sandy plains of Thibet, determined to stay away all 

 day and see what I could, for there was no good I could do 

 by waiting with C., who could make no retrograde motion 

 whilst I was ahead. Two Sepas started in pursuit of me, 

 but Campbell kept them back with his stick till I was out 

 of sight and of catchable distance. The elevation, 17,000 

 feet, was such that my pony was soon knocked up and I 

 pursued my way on foot up the Lachen, at the back of 

 Kmchin-jhow, over dry sandy stony dunes, with Carex, a 

 little grass, tufts of nettles, Ephedra and a thirsty looking 

 Lonicera ? a few inches high. Proceeding N.E. from 

 Kongra Lama I had long, stony, rolling mountains on the 

 North and East, and to the South the stupendous snowy 

 mass of Kinchin-jhow rose plumb perpendicularly from the 

 sandy plains. Finding the country so traversable I thought 

 it the best thing I could do to follow the Lachen to its source 

 near the Donkiah Pass, as that would be our route out if 

 Campbell should succeed in getting the coolies and himself 

 past the guard, and because I had difficulty in making C. 

 believe that I could and would guide him through the waste 

 with compass and sextant if he only could and would break 

 the frontier. Later in the day I arrived at Cholamo lakes, 

 within sight of the Donkiah Pass, but my pony was so 



