382 W. T. Blanford — Journey through Si/dim. [No. 4, 



whilst masses of scrub rhododendron ascended all hills with a 

 northern exposure to a little above our level ; we consequently- 

 estimated the elevation of the Jelep pass at between 13,000 and 

 14,000 feet. Two ravens perched on some stones not far from us. 



We sat down and eat some breakfast we had brought with us, 

 and then Elwes became disgusted at the stolidity of the Tibetans, 

 and determined to see if they could be induced to recognise our 

 existence. I should have mentioned that two or three questions 

 put to them through one of our own men had only elicited short 

 replies from one or two of the guard, the Jong remaining as 

 insolently abstracted as if he expected immediate absorption into 

 Nirvana. So to teach them a lesson of politeness, Elwes walked 

 rapidly across the frontier and began descending the opposite 

 side. The men were utterly taken by surprise, they stood up and 

 crowded round me, then with one accord rushed after Elwes, 

 scrambling rapidly over the rocks, despite their long cloaks, and, 

 finding that expostulation was useless, they flung themselves down 

 in the path before us, beseeching us to return, and expressing to 

 us by most emphatic gestures, that all their throats would be 

 cut if we persisted in entering Tibet. With all this there was 

 no attempt at violence or threats, they got in our way as much as 

 they could, but that was all. Hereupon we halted and explained 

 to them as well as we could, through a very bad interpreter, that it 

 was not polite to sit and stare at strangers without taking any 

 further notice of them. 



I believe that this little incident had an excellent effect, for, in 

 all subsequent visits to frontier posts, we were received with the 

 greatest civility and politeness, and I am convinced that we rose 

 in the estimation of the Tibetans by insisting on their treating 

 us with proper respect. 



We walked back from the pass, climbing up to the little lake 

 already mentioned on our way. It is one of the small rock basins 

 which are so often found beneath peaks of mountains, and which 

 are of apparently glacial origin. I suspect that they are formed 

 when the snow line extends but a short distance below the peak, 

 and the glacier is just sufficiently long to hollow out the rock 

 basin in which it rests. At least I have seen a very small glacier 



