956 
THROUGH ASIA 
they also lost payment for the horses which I hired of 
them for making the reconnaissance journey. 
We had a splendid ride all day, and in spite of the 
great altitude it was so warm in the sun that I wore only 
a light summer jacket. But no sooner did the mountains 
in the west cut off the sun’s rays than we at once began 
to feel the chilly coolness of the evening, and I donned 
my ulster and winter cap. At nine o’clock in the evening 
the thermometer registered 4i°4 Fahr. (5°2 C.). 
From the other tent came the noise of the men jesting 
and talking, until the ash (pudding) came in, then the 
din was deafening. My Turkestan attendants considered 
themselves too good to eat with the temporarily engaged 
d’aghliks ; besides, they placed but little confidence in them, 
and in so doing they were right. The Taghliks therefore 
were not allowed inside the tent, but had to eat their meals 
in the open air. During the meal my men discussed the 
prospects of the journey, and in these discussions Parpi 
Bai was looked upon as our chief authority, for he had 
travelled across Tibet several times before. He was 
with Carey, and his murdered companion Dalgleish, with 
Bonvalot and Prince Henry of Orleans, with Dutreuil de 
Rhins, who was likewise murdered, and with Grenard ; 
he had also taken part in some Russian expedition, 
though he could not tell me which it was. To have 
lighted upon him was therefore a godsend, for nobody 
knew the Tibetan plateau better than he did. It is true, 
evil tongues calumniated him, saying that he had a wife in 
more than one of the towns of East Turkestan, and that 
he deserted them in turn as soon as he grew tired of them. 
Islam Bai considered that the fact of Parpi Bai having been 
a follower of two Europeans who were murdered was not 
a good omen. However, all the time he was with me, the 
man did his duty in an exemplary manner, was always 
polite and dignified, and enjoyed great influence amongst 
the other men, not only on the ground of his experience, 
but also on account of his age : for he was close upon sixty, 
and the oldest man in the company. He told me how 
Bonvalot’s caravan-animals gave up and died one after the 
