280 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



round the corner, and in less than an hour we were once 

 more amongst our followers. The only deficiency was 

 the absence of the two guides, who, having pointed out 

 this route, had refused to go any farther. 



Now we saw the folly of having left our caravan even 

 for that short period, for had we been present we should 

 never have allowed the guides to leave us in that 

 fashion. We now began to suspect there was something 

 in the wind, and decided that our best plan would 

 be to march as far as we could and perhaps avoid con- 

 tact with anybody. 



Our road, unfortunately, began to wind too much 

 to our left, and, not wishing to run the risk of taking 

 our animals in the wrong direction, we called a halt, 

 resolving to explore farther ahead, and find out whether 

 there was not some other nullah that ran more east- 

 wards before launching forth "the whole of our caravan 

 along an uncertain route. 



Shortly after we had unloaded, and while the animals 

 were picking up what little grazing they were able to 

 get, our two guides suddenly reappeared, accompanied 

 by several other men, and during the evening others 

 continued to flock in from Rundore. We invited the 

 headmen to our tent, and endeavoured to persuade 

 them to allow some one to show us the way to Mangtza- 

 Tso. At first they would not hear of such a proposal ; 

 they denied the existence of any road, and even hinted 

 at opposing us. Thereupon we adopted fresh tactics, 

 and quietly told them that if such were their game we 

 should retrace our steps down the nullah we were in 

 and march down the main nullah right through the 

 Rundore district on to Lhassa. This produced a con- 

 sultation, resulting in their willingness to show us a 



