Compliments exchanged--A poisoned drink proffered--In acute
pain--Uncertainty as to our fate--Working the oracle--My webbed
fingers.
THE Pombo came out of his gaudy tent, and I told him that the dance was
beautiful, but that I was very hungry. He asked me what I wanted to eat,
and I said I would like some meat and tea.
A little later, a large vessel with a delicious stew of yak's meat was
brought to me, as well as _tsamba_ in abundance. However, though I felt
quite famished, I had the greatest difficulty in swallowing even a little
food. This I thought must be owing to the injuries to my spine and to the
mortification of my limbs, which had apparently affected my whole system
except my head.
When the Pombo had retired and night came on, I was again tied to the
stretching log, but this time with my limbs not stretched so far apart.
My hands, too, were again fastened to the pillar behind, but with no
strain on them.
Late in the evening, half a dozen Lamas came from the monastery with a
light and a large brass bowl which they said contained tea. The wounded
Lama, with his head all bandaged up, was among them, and he was so
anxious for me to drink some of it to keep myself warm during the cold
night that I became suspicious. When they pushed a bowl of the liquid to
my lips, I merely sipped a little, and declined to take more, spitting
out what they had forced into my mouth. I swallowed a few drops, and a
few minutes later I was seized with sharp, excruciating pains in my
stomach, which continued for several days after. I can but conclude that
the drink proffered me was poisoned.
The following day my left foot, which had remained lifeless since I had
been untied from the rack the first time, began to get better, and the
circulation was gradually restored. The pain was unbearable.
In the morning indecision again prevailed as to what was to be done to
us. A number of Lamas were still anxious to have us beheaded, whereas the
Pombo and the others had the previous night almost made up their minds to
send us back to the frontier. Unfortunately, it appears[36] that the
Pombo had seen a vision during the night in which a spirit told him that,
if he did not kill us, he and his country would suffer some great
misfortune. "You can kill the Plenki," the spirit was reported to have
said, "and no one will punish you if you do. The Plenkis are afraid to
fight the Tibetans."
Among the Lamas no important step is taken without incantations and
reference to occult science, so the Pombo ordered a Lama to cut off a
lock of my hair, which he did with a very blunt knife, and then the Pombo
rode up with it in his hand to the lamasery to consult the oracle. The
lock was handed in for inspection, and it seems that, after certain
incantations, the oracle answered that I must be beheaded or the country
would be in great danger.
The Pombo rode back apparently disappointed, and now ordered that one of
my toe-nails should be cut; after which operation, performed with the
same blunt knife, the oracle was again consulted as to what should be
done, and unhappily gave the same answer.
Three such consultations are usually held by the high court of the
assembled Lamas, the Tibetans on the third occasion producing for the
oracle's decision a piece of a finger-nail. The Lama who was about to cut
this off examined my hands behind and spread my fingers apart, expressing
great surprise and astonishment. In a moment all the Lamas and soldiers
came round and examined my manacled hands; a repetition of my experience
at the Tucker Monastery. The Pombo, too, on being informed, immediately
came and inspected my fingers, and the proceedings were at once stopped.
When some weeks later I was released, I was able to learn from the
Tibetans the reason of their amazement. My fingers happen to be webbed
rather higher than usual, and this is most highly thought of in Tibet. He
who possesses such fingers has, according to the Tibetans, a charmed
life; and no matter how much one tries, no harm can be done to him.
Apart from the question whether there was much charm or not in my life in
Tibet, there is no doubt that this trifling superstition did much towards
hastening the Pombo's decision as to what was to be our fate.
[36] The Tibetan Lamas stated this to the Political Peshkar Karak Sing,
our frontier officer.