I survive a Sleep in the Snow.
I was now wandering in a dream-land, if I may so describe the mental
condition of a man half-way on the road of being frozen to death.
Regret, resignation, and the hope of re-birth took turns in my mind,
and then all became a blank. During that blankness I no doubt looked
exactly like a dead person. Suddenly I awoke, fancying that somebody,
something, was stirring about me or near me. I opened my eyes, and saw
the two sheep shaking themselves; they were shaking snow off their
bodies. That was strange, I dreamily thought. I saw the sheep finish
shaking off the snow, and I wanted to shake it off too. But I could
not. I was rigid all over. Mechanically I next endeavored to recover
the use of my limbs. Presently I became more myself mentally, and I saw
the skies still presenting a dismal and threatening appearance, the
immense patches of black, black cloud still fleeing or pursuing, and
the sun struggling to force his life-giving rays between the intervals
of the hurrying vapors. On taking out my watch I found that it was
then half past ten--of what morning I could not tell. Had I slept only
one night, or two in the snow? The question was more than I could just
then solve. Nor did I feel that there was any necessity for its instant
solution. My immediate desire was for nourishment, and I took some
baked flour, helping it down with snow. I gave some also to my sheep,
which, by that time, had learnt to feed themselves on flour when green
grass was lacking.
I felt that the condition of my health was not equal to the task of
making a second attempt to climb over the Kon Gyu-i Kangri, and I
continued the descent when I resumed my journey, with the intention of
taking a long rest at the foot of the mountain. After going down more
than five miles I came to another mountain stream, and at the same time
down again came the snow. I almost trembled at a prospect of spending
another perilous night in the snow. Just at that juncture I heard some
clear, ringing sounds, as of a bird’s cry. Turning round, I saw seven
or eight cranes stalking along majestically in the shallow part of
the river. Never before had I seen a sight so poetically picturesque,
so representative of antique serenity. Some little time afterwards I
composed an _uta_ in memory of that enchanting scene:
Like feathers white the snows fall down and lie
There on the mountain-river’s sandy banks;
Ko-kow, Ko-kow! sounds strange--a melody
I hear--I search around for this strange cry.
In quiet majesty those mountain cranes
I find, are proudly strutting--singing thus.
The river was about one hundred and twenty yards wide, and crossing
it, I still proceeded down the incline. I had now come to the bottom
of a valley, and I saw at a distance what I took for a herd of yaks.
But I had before been deceived quite often by exposed boulders and
rocks which I had taken for yaks, and I was doubtful of my vision on
that occasion. But presently I saw the dark objects moving about,
and I was sure that they were yaks. The discovery, wholly unexpected
as it was, was delightful, for their presence implied that of some
fellow-creatures in the neighborhood. Coming up to the spot, I found
that the herd consisted of about sixty yaks, attended by some herdsmen.
On my questioning the men, they informed me that they had arrived at
the spot the evening before, and that a little further on I should come
upon a little camp of four tents. Towards these I forthwith directed my
steps.
My arrival in front of one of the tents was, as usual, hailed by a
pack of barking dogs. I begged the occupants of the first tent for a
night’s lodging, but met with a flat refusal. Probably my appearance
was against me: I had not shaved for two months, and my unkempt hair
and beard no doubt made me look wild, while under-feeding and general
exhaustion cannot have improved my features. Still I pleaded for
charity, but in vain. Dejectedly I moved to a second tent, but there
too I received no better treatment. In fact the treatment was worse:
for my urgent pleading, with a detailed account of my sufferings
during the previous eight days or so, only seemed to make the master
of the tent turn colder, even to the extent of finally charging me
with an intention to rob him. That was enough. I turned away, and a
great sadness came over me as I stood in the snow. My sheep bleated
pitifully, and I felt like crying myself. A third tent stood near, but
I could not muster courage enough to repeat my request there. The sight
of my sheep was melancholy in the extreme, and with an effort I made
an appeal at the fourth and last tent. To my great joy, I met a ready
welcome. I was utterly tired out, but a quiet rest near a comfortable
fire made me imagine the joys of paradise, and this I was allowed to
enjoy all that evening and through the next day. During that stay I
occupied my time in writing down the twenty-six desires which I had
formulated, with the hope of their accomplishment proving helpful to
the spiritual need of others as well as myself.
At five o’clock on the second morning I thanked my host for his
hospitality and left him. I now proceeded due north and, after trudging
over snow for nearly ten miles, I came out upon a more or less
grass-covered plain. By noon I had arrived near a pond, and there took
my midday meal. A survey from that point showed me that I had to cross
a sandy desert, which appeared to be larger in extent than the one I
had traversed after crossing the Chema Yungdung. The thought of another
sand-storm gave me new energy, born of fear, and I made no halt until
I had walked quite out of the desert.