LAMAS 139: 
on occasions a grey felt hat, perhaps a foot high. No 
Tibetan is ever without a wooden bowl, sometimes lined 
with silver, from which he eats his porridge or drinks his. 
tea. He also invariably carries a small neat tinder-box,,. 
usually with the steel attached to it, the flint being 
carried inside. These two articles when not in use are 
carried in the folds of his long coaise coat. 
All races of Asiatics may be seen in the streets, 
many being tall, fine, fierce-looking specimens of 
humanity, armed with long guns, daggers and swords. 
Their fire-arms are as a rule of no great use, being 
of the obsolete type so frequently seen among such 
people, but the owners value them highly; and 
though I wished to bring some home as curiosities,. 
the price asked was so high as to prevent my pur- 
chasing. Many lamas are seen at all times in the town, 
there being a large lamasery just outside. They may 
be told by their scarlet cloaks and shaven heads, and 
their music while at prayers is heard all day long. 
Monseigneur Biet informed me that, while he was at 
Batang, a lama of high rank died. The body was carried 
to a lofty plateau, the flesh was then cut off the bones, 
and the bones crushed and mixed with flour. Both 
were then given to the vultures, and the whole body 
was thus satisfactorily disposed of. Tibetan women 
work hard. They collect firewood on the mountain 
