July, 1849. TIBETANS. FURNITURE OF TENTS. 87 



from which coins, corals, and turquoises, hung down to 

 the eyebrows, while lappets of these ornaments fell over 

 the ears. Their own hair was plaited in two tails, brought 

 over the shoulders, and fastened together in front ; and a 

 little yellow felt cap, traversely elongated, so as not to 

 interfere with the shape of the glory, was perched on 

 the head. Their countenances were pleasing, and their 

 manners timid. 



The children crawled half-naked about the tent, or 

 burrowed like moles in an immense heap of goats' and 

 sheep-droppings, piled up for fuel, upon which the family 

 lounged. An infant in arms was playing with a "coral," 

 ornamented much like ours, and was covered with jewels 

 and coins. This custom of decorating children is very 

 common amongst half-civilised people ; and the coral is, 

 perhaps, one of the last relics of a barbarous age that is 

 retained amongst ourselves. One mother w r as nursing her 

 baby, and churning at the same time, by rolling the goat- 

 skin of yak-milk about on the ground. Extreme poverty 

 induces the practice of nursing the children for years ; and 

 in one tent I saw a lad upwards of four years of age 

 unconcernedly taking food from his aunt, and immediately 

 afterwards chewing hard dry grains of maize. 



The tents were pitched in holes about two feet and a 

 half deep ; and within them a wall of similar height was 

 built all round : in the middle was a long clay arched 

 fire-place, with holes above, over which the cauldrons were 

 placed, the fire being underneath. Saddles, horse-cloths, 

 and the usual accoutrements and implements of a nomade 

 people, all of the rudest description, hung about : there 

 was no bed or stool, but Chinese rugs for sleeping on. 

 I boiled water on the fire-place; its temperature (184° 5) 

 with that of the air (45° 5) gave an elevation of 15,867 



