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2^o ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
region, we fortunately discovered a spring, surrounded by
sheets of ice and good grass.
At length another Christmas Eve came round, for me a
long and gloomy day, solitary and alone as I was in the
wilds of Asia. That evening we encamped in the entrance
to a glen of the Astyn-tagh, a terribly desolate spot. For-
tunately there was plenty of fuel, and a lively crackling fire
was soon blazing, the only thing to remind me of the happy
gatherings at home. In order to banish to some extent the
depressing thoughts that naturally crowded in upon my
mind, I called Shagdur, who was the beau ideal of a good
and faithful servant, and invited him to come and sit down
beside me. It was now I unfolded to him my plan for
trying to reach Lhasa. He literally beamed at the idea ;
the prospect of such a wild adventure filled him with joy.
From my childhood I had heard speak of that holy place of
pilgrimage of the Lamaists, and I believed it would be
possible to reach it in the disguise of Mongol pilgrims. It
was nearly midnight when I dismissed Shagdur, and I am
sure that night he must have dreamed of great things. After
that we frequently talked of the venturesome plan, but we
always conversed in Russian, so that the Mussulmans should
not understand what it was we were discussing.
Our steps were still directed towards the east through
the mountainous regions, desolate and uninhabited, of the
Astyn-tagh. On the night of 31st December we were
visited by a terrific storm. The spars were torn from the
roof of the yurt, although they were tied together with
ropes. For safety’s sake we had to let the fire go out, and
it was not until I had undressed entirely and crept amongst
my furs and felts that I thawed ; after that the storm might
thunder and rage as much as it liked. Next morning it
was dark, although the sky was clear, and the wind whistled
and howled as it cut round the shoulders of the mountains.
Thus the close of the century was celebrated in those
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