180 EXECUTIONS 



It was a beautiful place, and a splendid view was 

 obtained to the northward. I much regretted that I 

 had not got my camera with me on this occasion — the 

 only time I ever was there. 



On May 4, leaving the tent and my men on the 

 mountain, I returned to Ta-tsien-lu in order to despatch 

 Mr. Kricheldorff to Mou-pin, a place, ten days' journey 

 to the E.N.E. of Ta-tsien-lu, which is but little known, Pere 

 David and another French missionary being, I believe, 

 the only Europeans that have ever visited it. I gave him 

 directions to establish at least four stations, and sent a 

 cook and interpreter and six collectors with him, fitting 

 him out with a good tent, as I was nearly sure he could 

 find no houses to live in. 



Before this, on my entering the town by the south 

 gate, I saw five Tibetan heads hanging in bamboo 

 cages. These, I learned, belonged to five men who 

 had been executed near Litang while I was away. 

 The frontier seemed to be in a very unsettled state, and 

 I was told that on the miUtary mandarin hearing of a 

 disturbance, he promptly proceeded to the place and 

 had these five men, whom he considered to be the ring- 

 leaders, beheaded at once. One of the heads had 

 belonged apparently to a mere lad of about sixteen 

 or seventeen. After they had been exposed here for 

 a certain time, they would be sent on to Cheng-tu 



