Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 105 (Color Image)

0105	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

TO LAN-CHOW 75

did not carry as much as a Chinese mule. On the

other hand, the latter cost three times as much.

The two Chinese soldiers who formed the escort

acted as interpreters with the Tibetans.

Chungku was reached on the following day.

The country was now only sparsely inhabited,

though several hundreds of pack animals yak

oxen and ponies were passed on the way.

Besides the Tibetan inhabitants there were many

half - bred Chinese. The Tibetans themselves

seemed friendly enough and beamed all over their

faces whenever Pereira nodded to them. At each

house was tied up a fierce black mastiff. Beyond

Chungku Pereira passed through a thinly wooded

district with stunted evergreens and scrub, and on January 9 camped in a wood at 12,000 feet

with a high snow range on the west. In the valley

there were only patches of snow, and only the

smaller streams were frozen. Again next day not

a house was seen, and a party of Tibetans stuck

to Pereira all day as a protection from brigands.

After a steep climb up a bare rocky hill-side he reached the summit of Ta-pao-shan, 15,300 feet,

on the far side of which was a very slippery

descent for a mile over frozen snow. Then the

path lay down a deep valley and he camped at a height of 12,600 feet.

On January 11 he continued down the valley

and passed through fir trees to a hamlet of three

houses, Kuei-yün, the first habitation for 29 miles, and 8 miles farther on reached Mao-nui, 10,350

feet, an interesting little village of thirty families,

partly Tibetan and partly Chinese. It consisted

of two-storied buildings and contained a Tibetan

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