Vol. IX, Nos. 8-9.] The Rev. L. Bernard among the Abors. 327 
[N.8.] 
village, I was obliged to come down to receive the directions I 
expected from my superiors at Paris. I promised the Abars 
that I would come back, if my directors approved of my 
pars: a mission amongst them, because I think they 
dress rather indecently. I believe they are simple in their 
manners; the persons of the other sex are decently dressed, 
and there, like everywhere, they evince, much more than the 
men, signs of great kindness. They have no religious preju- 
dices at all. they only believe in oa existence of some evil 
spirits residing in the far-off hills. J heard some of them saying 
that they had been formerly Christians : that they had the cross on 
their forehead : all this is the mere product of the pious traveller’s 
imagination. The sign they have on their forehead we can hardly 
f : 
not know the meaning of it. They have that sign as the Hindoos 
have sows other. 
‘At present, the route through the Abars is the only one 
e 
would certainly obey, but with the certitude of being murdered. 
Unless I receive other directions from my superiors, I am going 
to make an attempt through Darjeelling. Some cers in 
Assam told me they believed I could there find what I want, 
viz., a village under the protection of the British flag, where 
I could find plenty of Thibetan or Boutan people to enable me 
to learn their language. . I do not at all want to go at once to 
the centre of Thibet. If only, without exposing myself to 
certain death, I can establish myself amongst some native 
population, I will be satisfied. When I shall be in possession 
of the language, I shall be able to do my work slowly. 
‘It is in contemplation of these raed attempts that I came 
down three days ago to Dacca.. 
I have examined Carl Ritter’ s sabatbacte of Wilcox’s jour- 
neys of exploration in Assam (1826-27). There is nothing, 
mission in the south of Tibet among a tribe called Shokhap- 
(Cf. J.A.S. B., 1913, p. 116 and n. 1.) 
1 Jbid., 
2 CE. Be. ae me Theil, II Buch, Band III, Berlin, 1834, pp. 
357-399. I hav» also ex ned Ritter’s references to Asiatic Journal 
n Register, xxii oes 7, 434, 439; Febr. 
i ‘On ly vol, xx iv. 54, 431, alludes to the 
. 624, 
Catholic Missions in Tibet between 1624 and 173 
cw 
