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| 0102 |
The Pulse of Asia : vol.1 |
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The intensity of the Ladakh's superstition may perhaps
be connected with the impenetrability of his great moun-
tains, fit homes for millions of demons, and to the sudden-
ness of the disasters which overtake him. On a clear day,
a storm may gather on one of the snowy passes and in an
hour or two overwhelm a whole caravan. Under the influ-
ence of a mild drizzle or of a bit of melting snow, the soil
may be loosened so that avalanches of rock suddenly sweep
down the steep mountain sides to block the roads, kill
travelers, and bury villages. At other times, as happened
at Leh a few years ago, a flood of accumulated snow-water
may burst out of an apparently dry valley, and destroy
houses, fields, and villages. When he sees so many evi-
dences of what he supposes to be the activity of demons,
small wonder that the Ladakhi becomes nervous, and thinks
it wise to save his crops from drought and frost by hiring a
red lama to sit beside his field while it is being sown, and
read all day from a leaf of the holy book. And it is equally
wise to keep demons out of the house by smearing the lintels,
doorposts, and corners with blood or red paint, a custom
curiously suggestive of that of the ancient Israelites.
In spite of his fears, the Ladakhi is famous for his good
humor, partly, perhaps, because of the clearness and invigo-
rating quality of the mountain air, which undeniably tends
to put the traveler in high spirits. I had an illustration of
the good temper of the Ladakhis during a two weeks'
trip from Leh to Lake Pangong, sixty miles to the east, on
the border of Tibet. On the way it was necessary to use
coolies in crossing the pass of Chang La, 18,400 feet high,
over the most remote and lofty of the three ranges of the
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