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452 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
cursion towards the south, hoping to see something of
the grand mountain scenery which lies around the massive,
dominating, snow-capped mountain of Shah-ganjum.
I had intended to prolong the excursion, although it was
a forbidden region, and the Tibetans in desperation were
clinging like leeches to our heels, but the condition of our
horses was such that I durst not run any further risk.
At Camp No. CIII. YamduTsering and his men left us,
after I had given them revolvers and other presents, as
well as, at their request, a testimonial to the effect that
they had been civil and done their duty to my full satis-
faction. In their place we were joined by another escort
under Yarvo Tsering, with a fresh relay of yaks ; all our
animals were now travelling without loads. On the iSth
October we struck the salt lake of Lakkor-tso, a lake which
is drying up at such a rapid rate that its oldest shore-line
is no less than 436 feet above the existing level.
On the 20th October a curious thing happened while we
were on the march. Hamra Kul was bringing up the
rear with two sick horses, when he came upon Mohammed
Tokta in a pit by the roadside. The old man explained,
good-naturedly, that he had grown tired of riding, and
so had just rolled off his horse. Hamra Kul brought him
along with him, and upon reaching camp his companions
took the best care of him possible under the circumstances,
and when I went and asked him how he was, the old man
smiled gratefully. J gave him a bowl of milk, which he
drank with pleasure. But when the sun rose next morning
he lay stiff and stark in his furs, with his eyes tightly
closed. Death had visited the old camel-driver in his
sleep.
This made the fourth of my men who perished on this
journey. After the last sad ceremonies were performed
for the dead man, the caravan resumed its march towards
the west. We still had 480 miles to go to reach Ladak,
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