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| 0146 |
Tibet and Turkestan : vol.1 |
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the desert known as Aksai Chin—White Desert.
This region had not been anywhere traversed by
Europeans, but the compilers of the maps had, as
is customary, put in certain features as vaguely re-
ported by natives. These were erroneous, but we,
not then knowing definitely our position, were mis-
led by giving some faith to the representations.
Finding the mountain system very different from
that indicated for what was our actual latitude, and
very similar to that indicated for a lower latitude,
we were thus confirmed in an error which at the end
came near costing us ''life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness.''
On each day we were sternly asked, by each of
the four elements, certain embarrassing questions,
and the witness must answer. The Fire Spirit said:
''How shall you find me, that you may have hot
water for your tea and for the warming of your
tinned foods?'' And we answered: ''With the happy
trove of yak dung, or the grass-roots, or these fail-
ing, with splinters of our two wooden packing-cases;
and these being sacrificed, with this straw torn from
pack-saddles, whose bearers are stretched stiff there
a mile behind us. Thus, O Fire Spirit, we shall
seek you and conjure you to the end that we may
have tea, and we shall not ask then your direct com-
forting of our bones.'' And the Air Spirit spoke,
saying: ''How shall you protect your pulpy bodies
from me, relentless, cold, as I seek to steal away
from them the heat which is their life?'' And we
answered: ''With the sheep's wool, and his hide;
and these protections against your sharp tooth we
shall not at any time put aside. And at night the
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