258 Sport and Life in the Further Himalaya 



the movable wealth of a Ladaki woman is always 

 converted into turquoises. 



The musk brought from Lhassa consists, of 

 course, of the pods of the musk-deer which are 

 said to abound in the birch-forests to the south 

 of the chief province of Tibet. 



Among the articles brought by the Lapchak, 

 I should not forget to mention the beautiful 

 copper, silver, and brass teapots and other vessels 

 which come from Lhassa and Kham, and form the 

 object of many a curio-hunter's visit to Leh. The 

 shapes of these are particularly quaint and beauti- 

 ful, albeit the frequent occurrence of the dragon 

 betokens in many of them a Chinese origin of 

 design. The workmanship is also exceedingly 

 good. 



The curious custom of trading by means of 

 State embassies is not confined to the Lapchak 

 mission, although this, and the return mission 

 from Lhassa, known as the Chabba, are the most 

 notable instances. Many other missions of a 

 similar kind, sanctioned either by long custom 

 or agreement, pass backwards and forwards over 

 the frontier. Among these may be noticed the 

 mission sent to Tibet by the Stok and Masho 

 Gyalpos, the present-day representatives of the 

 old ruling family of Ladak, and from the Tibet 

 side that despatched to Ladak by the Garpons of 



