728 LHASA AND CENTRAL TIBET. 



"Khambo," the other is a civilian, called " Nansal." They supervise 

 the collection of taxes and decide important matters that arise between 

 the natives; and also control the government stations between Nakchu 

 and Lhasa. It also devolves upon them to stop Europeans bound for 

 Lhasa and immediatel}^ to notify the central government about them, 

 as well as about all suspicious persons. I was halted as belonging to 

 the last category, due to the chief of our caravan, who, out of friend- 

 ship to the Tibetans and possibly to shift responsibility from himself, 

 reported that there were Buriats in the party. Although the Buriats 

 had of late been freeh^ admitted, yet we were each obliged to pay 5 

 taels (about $4), which at once excluded us from the suspicious class 

 and opened our way to Lhasa. 



The Nakrhu monastery serves also as a custom-house. Here all pil- 

 grims are ()])liged to pay a tax on each tent, the revenue being used 

 for keeping the local pastures in grass. No penalty is imposed upon 

 those who refuse to pay the toll, although an indirect punishment is 

 inflicted ))y prohibiting tiie local residents from having anything to do 

 with delinquents. 



After losing half a day here, the caravan left the monasterj^ situ- 

 ated on the left bank of the small river Dre-chu," and 7 miles away 

 approached the left bank of the Nakchu. In the rain}^ season, when 

 the river runs deep and swift, it is impossible to cross without 

 V)oats, which evidently the native nomads can not build. Thence the 

 caravan reached the broad Sun-shan Valley, bounded on the north by 

 Mount Samtan Kansar. From this valley, across the low crest of 

 Chog-la, the road enters the Dam Valley, inhabited by descendants of 

 Mongols brought into Tibet by the Khoshot Gushi Khan in the 

 middle of the seventeenth century. The}^ are at present practically 

 assimilated with the Tibetans, although some still use Mongol felt 

 tents, and have not forgotten how to milk the mares and to make 

 kumys. Mongol words have disappeared from their language, 

 except ofticial titles and some special technical terms. The Dam 

 Mongols are subject to the Manchu Amban, who resides at Lhasa. 

 Their occupation is cattle raising. 



From Dam across Lani-la, or "double range," we enter a pass 

 where we come to the first agricultural settlement of Central Tibet. 

 It is more civilized here. The Pondo-chu is crossed by pedestrians 

 over a bridge. In the rainy season baggage is taken across in skin 

 boats, while animals ford the stream. On the right side of this swift 

 river stands the castle Pondo-dzong. 



Twenty-seven miles farther on the journe\" we reached Penbu, or 

 Penyul, one of the most thickly populated regions of Tibet. Cara- 

 vans have from here a choice of two roads — one, without crossing the 

 ridge, along the right bank of the U-chu, and the other, straight 



«Chu = river in Tibetan. 



