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STOPPED BY TIBETAN CAVALRY. 427
was a lovely lake, its water dark blue and as bright as
crystal. The lake penetrated the mountains in every direc-
tion, in deep dark fjords and bays, fantastic, yet grand,
overshadowed by heavy rain-clouds, while the little craggy
islets which dotted it were bathed in vivid sunshine. In
places the cliffs shot straight down into the lake, the name
of which was the Nakktsong-tso ; but we were unable to
proceed until the Cossacks went and reconnoitred, because
the Tibetans refused to give us any information.
We were skirting round a wide bay. Kalpet had alread}^
two or three times asked for water, and complained that
his camel was going too fast. Then for an hour or so he
was silent ; so I sent word to the ambulance, which was
bringing up the rear, that we would halt and make up the
sick man’s bed again. But when they came to look at him,
all was over. Kalpet was already dead and cold. After
Mollah had reverently closed his eyes, the caravan continued
its march. Up to that moment the Mussulmans had been
singing as usual to relieve the monotony of the march ;
but now every voice was hushed and all one heard was
the mournful jingle of the camels’ bells. We encamped
at the head of the bay beside the black tents of a nomad
\’illage.
The day we buried Kalpet, the 12th September, we had
brilliant sunshine, and under the fresh breeze that blew off
the lake the waves sang a melodious, but metallic dirge for
the departed. The Mussulmans had requested me to allow
them to bury their co-religionist with the ceremonies suit-
able to the occasion. During the night the dead body was
put in one of the tents and watched by two of the men. In
the morning it was washed and swathed in a white sheet by
Ordek, Mollah Shah and Hamra Kul, who put bandages
round their mouths to prevent them from inhaling the mor-
tuary vapours. Outside the tent Mollah Shah read aloud
passages from the Koran. After that they placed the
Y
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