FROM TALI TO TSEKOU 



The road traversed on the i8th (August) was good but 

 monotonous, and nightfall found me the guest of a Thibetan family 

 in a lonely little hut. The " Doctor " had taken a short cut with 

 the Christian guide, and so overshot our halt ; but, as the country 

 was no lonser daneerous, we felt no uneasiness on his behalf. As 

 I smoked my pipe in the moonlight, I realised what a tie is formed 

 by living the same life and enduring the same hardships : I had 

 grown quite fond of Joseph and Sao, separated though we w^ere by 

 a world of ideas ; and even with the other men who had covered 

 so many miles with us travel supplied a bond which racial con- 

 trasts could not wholly dissolve. 



19th (August). — A long day, which seemed to me longer from 

 the lassitude induced by a touch of fever. A line came back trom 

 Rou.x in the morning reporting all well, and that he would push on. 

 In the afternoon the valley contracted : we were now opposite the 

 spot where the precipice had barred our farther advance on the 

 right bank. Here on the left things were not much better. The 

 river had hollowed out the undercliff, and for some distance the 

 way was a mere wooden gallery clinging to the overhanging bluff. 

 The face of the rock above us was cut with large Thibetan inscrip- 

 tions, the burden of which was always the same prayer found for 

 twelve hundred miles from west to east throughout the country of 

 the Suppliants. 



We approached Tsekou, and were already within sight of the 



white houses of the mission, whence a man came to escort us to 



the bridge of Tsedjrong, as that of the missionaries had been cut ; 



and here Father Soulie was waiting to welcome us. The two 



cables composing the bridge were fairly taut, and the leather slings 



having been adjusted round myself and another, away we went 



with a swoop. As I looked down at the water all fear of giddiness- 



217 



