KHAMTI TO INDIA 



There was plenty of talk in the troop of "Kalikata" (Calcutta), 

 and Anio declared that he must learn some English words, notably 

 "wine" and "sugar," for with the former one could laugh at fever 

 and cold. The big heathen, Atong, had a remedy against these 

 foes in a bowl of hot water, into which he scraped a couple of 

 pimentos and some ginger. 



Throughout the forenoon of the Sth (December) we followed 

 a wooded track on the left bank of the Nam-Dapha. I went on 

 ahead, and had a regular paper-chase in discovering the blazed 

 trees and broken branches of the advanced column from among 

 the numerous false scents of wild animals. We could not have 

 been far behind the others, for at one place we found the embers 

 of their fire still smouldering, and a mouke or tally, on which were 

 cut some Thibetan signs to warn us that there was no water in 

 front. We therefore provided ourselves with bamboo tubes full, 

 carried in bandolier. A large monkey which I shot proved a 

 welcome addition to the camp kettle. It was of the fair sex, 

 and very tough, but we picked her bones. A wearisome climb 

 had taken it out of us, and the bivouac was one of general dejection. 

 Each one realised that it was a struQ^ole for life now ; the Kioutses 

 contradicted themselves every hour. Many footprints of tigers 

 cutting the fresh ones of our men showed the sympathetic creatures 

 had wind of us. But I had no desire here for a return call from 

 those old friends, whose acquaintance 1 had formerly sought in 

 India, and guns were fired at dusk to warn them off 



9th (December). — We had only rice for one more day and a 

 breakfast. At daybreak Anio despatched the two Kioutses to 

 catch up the leaders, who had two days' more supplies than we, 

 and to tell them to leave a little by the way for us. The march 

 was now along crests, and in the afternoon we viewed through the 



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