National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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India and Tibet : vol.1 |
ARRIVAL. AT YATUNG 155
The march was very trying for the troops and trans-
port, for the road " was simply a mountain-path of the
roughest description. One coolie corps struck work, and
a number of the local drivers of a pony corps and many
Nepalese coolies had deserted, for a curious feeling was
prevalent on the frontier that we were advancing to our
doom. But the troops and the bulk of the transport got
over all right, though very exhausted, and we encamped
in three bodies near Langram, well below the pass, in a
deep, narrow, forest-clad gorge.
Here I was met by the ubiquitous Captain Parr, who
in many ways was extremely helpful at this time, by the
local Chinese official, and by the Tibetan General. They
asked me to go back to Gnatong, where the Chinese
Resident and Tibetan Councillors would come and discuss
matters with me. On my declining, they asked me to
remain where I was for two or three months. I told them
I had waited for months without result at Khamba Jong ;
now I had to go on into Tibet. If my passage were
opposed, General NI acdonald would break down opposi-
tion ; if they did not oppose us, we would not attack
them. They asked me what we should do if on the
morrow we found the gate in the Yatung wall closed. I
said we would blow it open.
What would happen on the morrow was now the
interesting question. We would reach Yatung, which
for the last ten years we had been trying to make into a
trade-mart, according to the treaty, and we would approach
that wall which the Tibetans had thrown up to prevent
anyone coming to trade. The dramatic moment had
arrived ; and as General Macdonald and I on the following
morning rode down the wooded gorge with all military
precautions, it was impossible to say what our reception
would be.
Suddenly, as we turned a sharp corner, we saw a solid
wall, stretching right across the valley from the river up
the mountain-side. General Macdonald sent a flanking
party up the hills, and a skirmishing party to advance
straight at the wall. As we approached we were met by
the same officials who had visited us on the previous night.
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