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220 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
down amongst the thousands upon thousands of granite
blocks with which the bottom of the gorge was strewn,
while the snow came whistling round the corners of the
rocks. We were here about level with the top of Mont
Blanc. After a while a camel stumbled and rolled down
a steep terrace ; fortunately no damage was done, though
his load was scattered all over the gravel. This mishap
caused a long delay, for we had to make a pathway with our
spades for the animal to climb back by. Soon after that,
another camel gave up and was unable to go any further,
so we left him, intending to fetch him in next morning. It
was midnight before the camels’ bells ceased to tinkle
amongst the rocks, and by that time the moon had again
emerged from behind the snow-clouds. Next morning,
when Turdu Bai went back for the camel, he found him
cold and hard as ice.
It was 84 days since we had seen a human being except
ourselves, when, on the loth October, upon reaching a
heap of stones covered with religious inscriptions, and
built up by Mongol pilgrims to Lassa, we caught sight of
two solitary horsemen in the distance. Mollah Shah, who
had good lungs, set off after them like a madman, and
caught them up and brought them back with him. That
evening there was great rejoicing amongst our little band.
The first thing we did was to buy from the strangers,
two hunters, all their provisions, consisting of a small bag
of wheat flour. Thereupon Cherdon at once set about
making and baking bread, a delicacy we had not tasted
for many a long day. Then I bought their horses, and
commissioned Togdasin, one of them, to ride night and
day to our head-quarters at Temirlik, with orders to Islam
Bai to hasten to meet us at the springs of Yusup-alik with
a relief caravan. Togdasin took with him two empty pre-
served food tins, to prove that he really was my courier.
I confess I did not envy him his night’s ride, for the ther-
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