302 TARTAR CHARACTER. 



sibly be owing to the extreme dryness of the atmosphere on 

 the Tibetan side. 



Tanksee, a considerable-sized village, being the last place 

 on our route where men, yaks (the domestic bovine cattle of 

 Tibet) for carrying our baggage, and food were procurable, 

 we made arrangements accordingly. Here I secured the ser- 

 vices of a Tartar named Changter as guide, a pastoral inhabit- 

 ant of the Pangong district, who was well acquainted with 

 the haunts of the game there and in Changchenmo, and who 

 had the advantage of possessing a very slight knowledge of 

 the Hindustani language. He was accompanied by his son, 

 a little lad named Norgie, who attached himself to my com- 

 panion, the Major, in the capacity of gillie and an uncom- 

 monly sharp one he made, notwithstanding his youth. Here 

 I hired a pony the Major was too proud to ride by way 

 of saving myself as much unnecessary toil as possible ; and 

 a few small sheep were purchased for our commissariat de- 

 partment, at one rupee (eighteenpence) per head. 



The first evening after leaving Tanksee, by way of amuse- 

 ment as well as of making ourselves acquainted with our 

 Tartar followers, we gathered them together around the camp- 

 fire of sun-dried yak's dung the only fuel procurable col- 

 lected in the vicinity, and got them to sing, dance, and per- 

 form on a musical instrument like a long, wooden penny 

 whistle, from which they contrived to produce wonderfully 

 dulcet tones. Great was their delight on the Major's passing 

 round a snuff-box, and loud and boisterous their mirth at 

 seeing one another sneeze. 



How different are these independent manly fellows, with their 

 good-humoured sociable ways, and droll merry faces, which are 

 always ready with a broad grin, from their more sophisticated 

 neighbours of Hindustan, with their austere castes and preju- 

 dices ! And how infinitely superior to them, morally and 

 physically, are these wild children of nature, who are, fortu- 

 nately for them, not as yet corrupted by the vices and evils 



