Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 28 (Color Image)

0028	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

6 PEKING TO LHASA

Republic had not yet established itself. There

was no order in the country. The various armies

were not paid. And the soldiery, to support them-

selves, were driven to looting ; or they would

break up into bands of brigands and scour the

country.

And if and when Pereira had made his way

through the famine-stricken peoples and through

the warring factions and bands of brigands, and

had reached the borders of Tibet, still greater

obstacles might meet him. On the establishment

of the Republic in China the Tibetans had evicted

the Chinese from Tibet. And, as a consequence,

all along the border between Tibet and China,

where it is difficult to state exactly at what line

Chinese authority ends and Tibetan begins, there

was disorder. Many of the border people owe

only a loose allegiance to Lhasa. Many others

owe only a loose allegiance to China. And when

Tibet and China are at variance, these try to be

independent of both. Pereira, on arrival at the

fringe of China Proper, might find it impossible

to get through disorderly frontier peoples.

And supposing he did get through these wild

border tribesmen there was still the Central

Government of Tibet to reckon with. Since the

British Mission to Lhasa of 1904 they had been

well-disposed towards travellers coming from

India. But so far they had allowed no European

to enter Lhasa from the side of China. Would

they show any favour towards Pereira ? If not,

his aims would be thwarted at their very climax.

These were the obstacles he had to expect. And

in addition there were of course the ordinary

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