ADVENTURES IN TIBET 281 



road that would take us direct to Mangtza-Tso. Every- 

 thing was finally settled agreeably to both sides, and 

 we became friends for the time being. 



On their departure from our presence, we were con- 

 gratulating ourselves upon the good fortune that con- 

 tinued to follow us, when, to our astonishment, some 

 officials from Rudok rode in in hot haste, and through- 

 out the night and following morning we constantly 

 heard fresh arrivals, the rapid jingling of the bells 

 which were hung round the ponies' necks proclaiming 

 how hurriedly they were riding. It was dark, and we 

 could hear men's voices from the stream that ran down 

 the centre of the nullah, while, we. ourselves had 

 encamped close to the mountain-side. We could see 

 they had lit some fires and were sitting' and standing 

 around them, occupied in eager conversation. From 

 the light of the flames we could see their matchlocks 

 standing up against one another on the ground. Our 

 hopes, which only a short time before had been so 

 sanguine, had now received a severe blow, and we 

 wondered, yet guessed, what the intentions of these men 

 might be. 



In order to solve this mysterious gathering we sent 

 and invited the chief men to our tent. Two of them 

 were before very long ushered in by Esau, intelligent- 

 looking fellows enough, and open to hear all we had 

 to say, yet staunch in their determination to obstruct 

 our further march onwards up the nullah we were in. 

 Threats, bribes of money and goods, as well as every 

 other kind of argument, entirely failed to carry any 

 weight with these Rudok officials, for they very wisely 

 remarked that ' if we allow you to go this road, we 

 shall for such an act of disobedience undoubtedly lose 



