CHAMDO TO LHASA 157
him nod to them they beamed and put out their tongues. He took a stroll through the village, much to the excitement of the natives, who declared he beat Barnum's freaks all to nothing ! The whole village followed him, though not offensively as the Chinese do. Some of the men had queues, and the queues were some long and some short. The women wore several plaits down their backs. The soldiers were in a mixture of khaki and Tibetan . garments.
The village was mostly of one-storied mud houses built at the end of a spur about 100 feet high, with the Zok Chu flowing down by the Nagchuka road on the south-west and the Zong Chu coming from the Jye-kundo route on the north-west. In the village is a pile of stones, a few of which have prayers on them, here called a Do-bum.
The official here is called a Ken-jung, and he has the same rank as the Chamdo Drepon. Pereira called on him, and for the sake of dignity rode there, though the distance to his residence was only 50 yards. From the entrance there was a very steep ascent up a ladder to the first floor. Here he was received in a large room and was offered milk and excellent crystallised fruits and sweets. He sat on a chair of state, while the Ken-jung sat on his left on an ottoman arrayed in very fine garments : a long brown robe with a bright yellow jacket, and wearing the official hat surmounted by a long pinkish stone. On his feet were wonderful coloured boots. His three secretaries squatted on divans.
There were fifty soldiers at Denchin. They
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