ADVENTURES IN TIBET 277 



that he had formerly sent rich presents to the son of 

 the King of the French Prince Henri d'Orleans. When 

 I rose to take my leave he offered me another scarf ; 

 then, at a sign from him, a lama brought him yet 

 another, even larger and finer than the first, and the 

 god-man, presenting it, begged me to bear it, as a 

 sign of his friendship, to our emperor ! 



The interest of such a visit, as may be imagined, 

 does not lie in the remarks exchanged, which are neces- 

 sarily insignificant. What was of interest was the aspect 

 of this divine incarnation before whom a notable fraction 

 of the human race bows down. Was he a monk pickled 

 in sanctity, or a mere puppet, intentionally besotted 

 since infancy by those who surrounded him, or a strong 

 and remarkable personality? 



The two first hypotheses must emphatically be re- 

 jected. Not only does the Dalai-Lama speak and act 

 as a man habituated to command, but there is nothing 

 of the monk in his manner nor even in his cloth- 

 ing. He is a vigorous man, with a soldierly face and 

 figure, and the sight of him explains his unexpectedly 

 adventurous career. Among the lamas who surrounded 

 him I noticed many faces of a Hindoo type, full of 

 refinement and intelligence . 



On the following' day the Dalai-Lama took the road 

 for Pekin. From daybreak thousands of camels, led 

 by Mongols, filed down the mountain, carrying his 

 baggage. There followed groups, always at shorter 

 intervals and always more and more numerous, of 

 Tibetans, Mongols, and lamas. 



At eight o'clock a gun was fired, and from the open 

 doors of the upper pagoda issued a double file of 

 lamas robed in red ; they took up their positions all 



