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384 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
friendliness by giving us the comforting intelligence, ’’
Don’t
you know that it may cost you your heads for having come
this way ? Everybody who attempts to approach Lassa
from this direction has his head cut off."
A little torrent of rain was trickling through the middle
of the tent, and eventually it grew so big that it drove us
to the sides. In fact, to prevent ourselves from being
flooded out, we had to go outside and dig a trench above
the tent to carry off the rain-water, for as it happened we
were standing on sloping ground. That night we turned
our animals loose and left them to graze where they chose,
without troubling ourselves further about them. We our-
selves were watched by thirty-seven vedettes ; we saw their
bivouac fires gleaming through the blurr of the rain,
especially in the direction of Lassa.
All day on the 7th August the Tibetans were rather
troublesome with their attentions. First came the old
man who had talked about our having our heads cut off ;
but he brought us a bowl of sour milk, a sack of argol, and
a pair of bellows, this last an especially welcome gift.
Another Tibetan, whose name was Ben Nursu, and who
remained for over three hours, said without scruple that he
was sent to spy upon us. He was, however, so complaisant
as to furnish us with much valuable information, so that we
did not much resent his intrusion. From the place where
we were, which he called Jallokk, he reckoned it was five
days’ journey to Lassa, although a mounted man could
reach the capital in a day ; and shortly afterwards we did
ascertain that a special messenger went to Lassa and back
in two days. But these fast special couriers change horses,
of course, several times on the way, for the distance was
about 120 miles.
Another of our visitors, an old long-haired man called
Dakkyeh, remarked to his comrades, at least so our Lama
said :
" These three men are very suspicious characters.
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