Aspect of the Lamasery of Tchogortan--Contemplative Lamas--Lama
Herdsmen--The "Book of the Forty-two Points of Instruction, delivered by
Buddha"--Extract from the Chinese Annals, with relation to the preaching
of Buddhism in China--The Black Tents--Manners of the Si-Fan--Long-haired
Oxen--Adventures of a stuffed Karba--Lamanesque Chronicle of the Origin
of Nations--Alimentary Diet--Valuable Discoveries in the Animal
Kingdom--Manufacture of Camel-hair Cord--Frequent visits to
Tchogortan--Classification of Argols--Brigand Anecdote--Elevation of the
Pyramid of Peace--The Faculty of Medicine at Tchogortan--Thibetian
Physicians--Departure for the Blue Sea.
A half hour sufficed for us to effect our removal from Kounboum to
Tchogortan. After skirting for some time the arid sides of a lofty
mountain, we descended into a broad valley, through which flowed a
rivulet, the banks of which were still covered with ice. The place
seemed full of good pasturage, but in consequence of the coldness of the
climate, vegetation is very slow and very late in the locality. Although
it was near the month of May, the nascent germs scarcely as yet coloured
the surface of the soil.
A Lama, with red, round face, came to meet us, and conducted us to the
habitation which the administrator of the Lamasery had prepared for our
reception. We were installed in a large apartment which, only the
evening before, had served as the abode of sundry juvenile calves, too
young and too weak to follow the parent cows to the mountains. Every
pains had been taken to clean the apartment, but the success had not been
so perfect as to preclude our distinguishing on the floor many traces of
the late occupants; however, the authorities had assigned to us the best
accommodation that the Lamasery afforded.
Tchogortan is, as we have before stated, the country house of the Faculty
of Medicine of Kounboum: its aspect is tolerably picturesque, especially
in summer. The habitations of the Lamas, constructed at the foot of a
mountain, that terminates in a peak, are shaded by ancient trees, the
great branches of which afford a retreat to infinite kites and crows.
Some feet below these cottages, runs an abundant stream, interrupted by
various dams which the Lamas have constructed for the purpose of turning
their tchukor, or praying mills. In the depths of the valley, and on the
adjacent hills, you see the black tents of the Si-Fan, and a few herds of
goats and long-haired cattle. The rocky and rugged mountain which backs
the Lamasery, serves as an abode for five contemplative monks, who, like
the eagles, have selected as the site of their aeries the most elevated
and most inaccessible points. Some have hollowed out their retreat in
the living rock; others dwell in wooden cells, stuck against the mountain
like enormous swallows' nests; a few pieces of wood, driven into the
rock, form the staircase by which they ascend or descend. One of these
Buddhist hermits, indeed, who has entirely renounced the world, has
voluntarily deprived himself of these means of communication with his
fellows; a bag, tied to a long string, served as the medium for conveying
to him the alms of the Lamas and shepherds.
We had frequent conversations with these contemplative Lamas, but we
could never exactly ascertain what it was they contemplated up there in
their nests. They themselves could give nothing like a clear idea of the
matter; they had embraced this manner of life, they told us, because they
had read in their books that Lamas of very great sanctity had lived in
that way. However, they were worthy folks, of peaceful, simple, easy
temperaments, who passed their waking hours in prayer, and when they were
tired of praying relaxed with sleep.
Besides these five hermits, who always dwelt in the rocks above, there
were, below, several Lamas who had charge of the unoccupied houses of the
Lamasery. These by no means, like the former, looked at life in its
refined and mystical aspect; they were, on the contrary, absorbed in the
realities of this world; they were, in fact, herdsmen. In the great
house where we were installed, there were two big Lamas who poetically
passed their time in herding some twenty cattle, in milking the cows,
making butter and cheese, and looking after the juvenile calves. These
bucolics seemed little to heed contemplation or prayer: they sent forth,
indeed, frequent invocations to Tsong-Kaba, but this was always on
account of their beasts, because their cows mutinied and would not be
milked, or because the calves capered out of bounds over the valley. Our
arrival afforded them a little diversion from the monotony of pastoral
life. They often paid us a visit in our chamber, and always passed in
review the volumes of our small travelling library, with that timid and
respectful curiosity which simple and illiterate persons ever manifest
towards the productions of the intellect. When they found us writing,
they forgot cows, and calves, and milk, and cheese, and butter, and would
stand for hours together motionless, their eyes fixed upon our crow-quill
as it ran over the paper, and left impressed there characters, the
delicacy and novelty of which were matters of ecstatic amazement to these
simple creatures.
The little Lamasery of Tchogortan pleased us beyond our hopes. We never
once regretted Kounboum any more than the prisoner regrets his dungeon
after he has attained liberty. The reason was that we, too, felt
ourselves emancipated. We were no longer under the ferule of Sandara the
Bearded, of that hard and pitiless taskmaster, who, while giving us
lessons of Thibetian, seemed to have undertaken also to discipline us in
patience and humility. The desire to attain knowledge had made us submit
to his ill-treatment, but our departure from Kounboum afforded a joyful
opportunity of throwing off this leech which had, for five whole months,
obstinately remained stuck to our existence. Besides, the success we had
already achieved in the study of the Thibetian tongue, exempted us from
the future necessity of having a master at our shoulder; we were quite
strong enough now to walk alone and unaided.
Our hours of labour were employed in revising and analysing our
dialogues, and in translating a small Thibetian work, entitled, the
"Forty-two Points of Instruction, delivered by Buddha." We possessed a
magnificent edition of this work, in four languages, Thibetian, Mongol,
Mantchou, and Chinese; so that, thus aided, we had no occasion to recur
to the learning of the Lamas. When the Thibetian version presented any
difficulty, all we had to do, in order to remove it, was to consult the
three other versions, with which we were familiarly acquainted.
The book in question, which is attributed to Chakya-Mouni, is a
collection of precepts and sentences, urging men, and especially
religious persons, to the practice of piety. In order to give our
readers an idea of the morality of the Buddhists, we will extract a few
passages from this work, which is of high authority in Lamanism.
I.
"Buddha, the Supreme of Beings, manifesting his doctrine, pronounced
these words: There are, in living creatures, ten species of acts
which are called good, and there are also ten species of acts which
are called evil. If you ask, what are the ten evil acts; there are
three which appertain to the body: murder, theft, and impurity. The
four appertaining to speech are: words sowing discord, insulting
maledictions, impudent lies, and hypocritical expressions. The three
appertaining to the will are: envy, anger, and malignant thoughts.
II.
"Buddha, manifesting his doctrine, pronounced these words: The wicked
man, who persecutes the good man, is like a madman, who, throwing
back his head, spits against heaven; his spittle, incapable of
sullying heaven, merely falls back upon himself. And, again, he is
like one who, the wind opposing him, throws dust at men; the dust
does not touch the men at whom it was aimed, but flies back into the
eyes of him who threw it. Beware of persecuting good men lest
calamities exterminate you.
III.
"Buddha, etc. Beneath heaven there are twenty difficult things. 1,
Being poor and indigent, to grant benefits is difficult. 2, Being
rich and exalted, to study doctrine, is difficult. 3, Having offered
up the sacrifice of one's life, to die veritably, is difficult. 4,
To obtain a sight of the prayers of Buddha, is difficult. 5, To have
the happiness to be born in the world of Buddha, is difficult. 6, To
compound with voluptuousness and to be delivered from one's passions,
is difficult. 7, To behold an agreeable object, and not to desire
it, is difficult. 8, To resist a tendency for the lucrative and the
exalting, is difficult. 9, To be insulted, and abstain from anger,
is difficult. 10, In the whirlwind of business to be calm, is
difficult. 11, To study much and profoundly, is difficult. 12, Not
to scorn a man who has not studied, is difficult. 13, To extirpate
pride from the heart, is difficult. 11, To find a virtuous and able
master, is difficult. 15, To penetrate the secrets of nature and the
profundities of science, is difficult. 16, Not to be excited by
prosperity, is difficult. 17, To leave wealth for wisdom, is
difficult. 18, To induce men to follow the dictates of conscience,
is difficult. 19, To keep one's heart always in equal motion, is
difficult. 20, Not to speak ill of others, is difficult.
IV.
"The man who seeks riches, is like a child that, with the sharp point
of a knife, attempts to eat honey; ere he has time to relish the
sweetness that has but touched his lips, nothing remains to him but
the poignant pain of a cut in the tongue.
V.
"There is no passion more violent than voluptuousness! No thing
exceeds voluptuousness! Happily, there is but one passion of this
kind; were there two, not a man in the whole universe could follow
the truth.
VI.
"Buddha pronounced these words in the presence of all the Charmanas:
{76} 'Beware of fixing your eyes upon women! If you find yourselves
in their company, let it be as though you were not present. Take
care how you speak with women. If you talk with them, guard well
your hearts; let your conduct be irreproachable, and keep ever saying
to yourselves: we who are Charmanas, residing in this world of
corruption, must be like the flower of the water-lily, which, amid
muddy water, contracts no stain.'
VII.
"The man who walks in the path of piety must look upon the passions
as dry grass near a great fire. The man who is jealous of his
virtue, should flee on the approach of the passions.
VIII.
"A Charmana who passed whole nights chanting prayers, manifested one
morning, by his sad suppressed voice, great depression and the desire
to withdraw from his calling. Buddha sent for this Charmana, and
said to him, 'When you were with your family, what used you to do?'
'I was always playing on the guitar.' Buddha said to him, 'If the
strings of the guitar became loose, what happened?' 'I obtained no
sound from them.' 'If the strings were too tight, what happened
then?' 'The sounds were broken.' 'When the strings obtained the
exact equilibrium between tension and flexibility, what happened
then?' 'All the sounds accorded in perfect harmony.' Hereupon
Buddha pronounced these words: 'It is the same with the study of
doctrine; after you shall have achieved dominion over your heart, and
regulated its movements to harmony, it will attain the acquisition of
the truth.'
IX.
"Buddha put this question to a Charmana: 'How long a time is fixed
for the life of man?' He replied: 'It is limited to a few days.'
Buddha pronounced these words: 'You have not yet acquired the
knowledge of the doctrine.' Then addressing himself to another
Charmana, he put this question: 'How long a time is fixed for the
life of man?' He replied: 'It is limited to the time that suffices
for a meal.' Buddha pronounced these words: 'So neither hast thou,
as yet, the knowledge of the doctrine.' Then addressing himself to a
third Charmana, he put to him this question: 'How long a time is
fixed for the life of man?' He replied: 'It is limited to the time
that suffices to emit a breath.' After he had thus spoken, Buddha
pronounced these words: ''Tis well: thou mayest be said to have
acquired the knowledge of the doctrine.'
X.
"The man who, practising piety, applies himself to extirpate the
roots of his passions, is like a man passing between his fingers the
beads of a chaplet. If he proceeds by taking them, one after the
other, he easily attains the end; so, by extirpating, one after the
other, one's evil tendencies one attains perfection.
XI.
"The Charmana who practises piety, may compare himself with the
long-haired ox, which, laden with baggage, is making its way through
a marsh; it dares look neither to the right nor to the left, but goes
straight on, hoping to get clear of the mud and to reach a place of
rest. The Charmana, regarding his passions as more terrible than
this mud, if he never diverts his eyes from virtue, will assuredly
attain the height of felicity."
We will not prolong these extracts. The few we have given will suffice
to convey an idea of the matter and manner of this book, which is
accepted as an authority alike by the Bonzes and the Lamas. It was
conveyed from India to China, in the 65th year of the Christian era, at
the epoch when Buddhism was beginning to make its way in the Celestial
Empire. The Chinese annals relate this event in the following terms:--
"In the 24th year of the reign of Tchao-Wang, of the dynasty of the
Tcheou (which corresponds to the year 1029 B.C.), on the eighth day
of the fourth moon, a light, coming from the south-west, illumined
the palace of the king. The monarch, beholding this splendour,
interrogated concerning it the sages who were skilled in predicting
the future. These presented to him the books wherein it was written,
that this prodigy would announce that a great saint had appeared in
the west, and that in a thousand years after his birth, his religion
would spread into those parts.
"In the 53rd year of the reign of Mou-Wang, which is that of the
Black Ape (951 B.C.), on the fifteenth day of the second moon, Buddha
manifested himself (_i.e._ died.)--A thousand and thirteen years
afterwards, under the dynasty of Ming-Ti, of the dynasty of the Han,
in the seventh year of the reign of Young-Ping (A.D. 64), on the
fifteenth day of the first moon, the king saw in a dream, a man of
the colour of gold, glittering like the sun, and whose stature was
more than ten feet. Having entered the palace of the king, this man
said, 'My religion will spread over these parts.' Next day, the king
questioned the sages. One of these, named Fou-Y, opening the annals
of the time of the Emperor Tchao-Wang, of the dynasty of the Tcheou,
pointed out the connection between the dream of the king and the
narrative in the annals. The king consulted the ancient books, and
having found the passage corresponding with the reign of Tchao-Wang,
of the dynasty of the Tcheou, was filled with gladness. Thereupon he
dispatched the officers Tsa-In and Thsin-King, the man-of-letters,
Wang-Tsun, and fifteen other persons, into the west, to obtain
information respecting the doctrine of Buddha.
"In the 10th year (A.D. 67), Tsa-In and the rest, having arrived in
Central India, among the great Youei-Tchi, met with Kas'yamatanga and
Tcho-Fa-Lan, and procured a statute of Buddha, and books in the
language of Fan (Fan-Lan-Mo, or Brahma, that is to say, in Sanscrit),
and conveyed them on a white horse to the city Yo-Lang.
Kas'yamatanga and Tcho-Fa-Lan, paid a visit to the emperor, attired
as religious persons, and were lodged in the Hong-Lon-Sse, called
also Sse-Pin-Sse (Hotel of the Strangers).
"In the 11th year (A.D. 68), the emperor ordered the construction of
the monastery of the White Horse, outside the gate Yong-Mon, west of
the city of Lo-Yang. Matanga there translated the 'Sacred Book of
Forty-two Articles.' Six years after, Tsa-In and Tcho-Fa-Lan
converted certain Tao-Sse to Buddhism. Rising afterwards into
celestial space, they caused the king to hear the following verses:--
"'The fox is not of the race of the lions. The lamp has not the
brightness of the sun or moon. The lake cannot be compared with the
sea; the hills cannot be compared with the lofty mountains.
"'The cloud of prayer spreading over the surface of the earth, its
beneficial dew fecundating the germs of happiness, and the divine
rites operating everywhere marvellous changes, all the nations will
advance according to the laws of reintegration.'"
Our first days at Tchogortan were entirely devoted to the translation of
the "Book of Buddha;" but we soon found ourselves compelled to devote a
portion of our time to the occupations of pastoral life. We had remarked
that every evening our animals had returned half-starved, that instead of
growing fatter and fatter, they were daily becoming leaner and leaner:
the simple reason was that Samdadchiemba took no sort of pains to find
pasturage for them. After driving them out somewhere or other, he cared
not whither, he would leave them to themselves on some arid hillside, and
himself go to sleep in the sun, or stroll about chattering and
tea-drinking in the black tents. It was to no purpose we lectured him;
he went on, just the same as before, his reckless, independent character
having undergone no modification whatever. Our only mode of remedying
the evil, was to turn herdsmen ourselves.
Moreover, it was impossible to remain pertinaciously and exclusively men
of letters when all around seemed inviting us to make some concessions to
the habits of this pastoral people. The Si-Fan, or Eastern Thibetians,
are nomads, like the Tartar-Mongols, and pass their lives solely occupied
in the care of their flocks and herds. They do not live, however, like
the Mongol tribes, in huts covered with felt. The great tents they
construct with black linen, are ordinarily hexagonal in form; within you
see neither column nor woodwork supporting the edifice; the six angles
below are fastened to the ground with nails, and those above are
supported by cords which, at a certain distance from the tent, rest
horizontally on strong poles, and then slope to the ground, where they
are attached to large iron rings. With all this strange complication of
sticks and strings, the black tent of the Thibetian nomads bears no
slight resemblance to a great spider standing motionless on its long
lanky legs, but so that its great stomach is resting on the ground. The
black tents are by no means comparable with the tents of the Mongols;
they are not a whit warmer or more solid than ordinary travelling tents.
They are very cold, on the contrary, and a strong wind knocks them down
without the least difficulty.
[Picture: The Long-Haired Ox]
It may be said, however, that in one respect the Si-Fan seem more
advanced than the Mongols, and to have a tendency for approximating to
the manners of sedentary nations. When they have selected an encampment,
they are accustomed to erect around it, a wall of from four to five feet
high, and within their tents they construct furnaces, which are destitute
neither of taste nor of solidity. These arrangements, however, do not
create in them any attachment to the soil which they have thus occupied.
Upon the slightest caprice they decamp, pulling down their walls and
other masonry work, and carrying the principal stones with them to their
next settlement, as part of their furniture. The herds of the Eastern
Thibetians consist of sheep, goats, and long-haired cattle; they do not
breed as many horses as the Tartars, but those which they do breed are
stronger and better formed; the camels we find in their country, belong,
for the most part, to the Tartar-Mongols.
The long-haired cattle, in Chinese Tchang-Mao-Nieou, is called _yak_ by
the Thibetians, _sarligue_ by the Tartars, and _boeuf grognant_ by the
French naturalists. The cry of this animal does, in fact, resemble the
grunting of a hog; but louder in tone, and longer in duration. The yak
is short and thick, and not so big as an ordinary ox; its hair is long,
fine, and shining, that under the belly actually trailing on the around.
Its hoofs are meagre, and crooked, like those of goats; and, like the
goats, it delights in clambering up rocks, and impending over the most
rugged precipices. When at play, it twists and turns about its tail,
which terminates in a broad tuft, like a plume of feathers. The flesh is
excellent; the milk delicious, and the butter made of that milk beyond
all praise. Malte-Brun, indeed, says, that the milk of this animal
smacks of tallow. Matters of taste are generally open questions, but in
this particular instance we may anticipate that the presumption will be
somewhat in favour of our opinion, since, as we believe, the learned
geographer has not had the same opportunities with ourselves of drinking
the milk in the black tents, and appreciating its savour at leisure.
Among the herds of the Si-Fan, you find some yellow cattle, which are of
the same family with the ordinary cattle of France, but in general poor
and ugly. The calf of a long-haired cow and a yellow bull is called
Karba; these seldom live. The long-tailed cows are so restive and so
difficult to milk, that to keep them at all quiet, the herdsman has to
give them a calf to lick meanwhile. But for this device, not a single
drop of milk could be obtained from them.
One day, a Lama herdsman, who lived in the same house with ourselves,
came, with a long, dismal face, to announce that one of his cows had
calved during the night, and that unfortunately the calf was a karba.
The calf died in the course of the day. The Lama forthwith skinned the
poor beast, and stuffed it with hay. This proceeding surprised us at
first, for the Lama had by no means the air of a man likely to give
himself the luxury of a cabinet of natural history. When the operation
was completed, we remarked that the hay-calf had neither feet nor head;
hereupon it occurred to us that, after all, it was merely a pillow that
the Lama contemplated. We were in error, but the error was not
dissipated until the next morning, when our herdsman went to milk his
cow. Seeing him issue forth, his pail in one hand, the hay-calf under
the other arm, the fancy occurred to us to follow him. His first
proceeding was to put the hay-karba down before the cow; he then turned
to milk the cow herself. The mamma at first opened enormous eyes at her
beloved infant; by degrees, she stooped her head towards it, then smelt
at it, sneezed three or four times, and at last proceeded to lick it with
the most delightful tenderness. This spectacle grated against our
sensibilities; it seemed to us that he who first invented this parody
upon one of the most touching incidents in nature, must have been a man
without a heart. A somewhat burlesque circumstance occurred one day to
modify the indignation with which this trickery inspired us. By dint of
caressing and licking her little calf, the tender parent one fine morning
unripped it; the hay issued from within, and the cow, manifesting not the
smallest surprise or agitation, proceeded tranquilly to devour the
unexpected provender.
The Si-Fan nomads are readily distinguishable from the Mongols by a more
expressive physiognomy and by a greater energy of character; their
features are not so flat, and their manners are characterised by an ease
and vivacity that form a strong contrast with the heavy uncouthness of
the Tartars. Merry-makings, noisy songs, and joyous laughter animate
their encampments, and banish melancholy; but with this turn for gaiety
and pleasure, the Si-Fan are at the same time indomitably brave, and
exceedingly addicted to warfare. They accordingly manifest the most
profound contempt for the Chinese authority and authorities, and though
inscribed in the imperial list of tributary nations, they absolutely
refuse to render either obedience or tribute. There are among them,
indeed, several tribes that constantly exercise their brigandage up to
the very frontiers of the empire, the Chinese mandarins never venturing
to encounter them. The Si-Fan are good horsemen, though not equal to the
Tartars. The care of their herds does not prevent them from carrying on
a little trade in the hair of their cattle and the wool of their sheep.
They weave a sort of coarse linen, of which they make tents and clothing.
When they are assembled round their great pot of milk-tea, they give
themselves up, like the Tartars, to their gossiping humour, and their
passion for narratives of the adventures of Lamas and brigands. Their
memory is full of local anecdotes and traditions; once put them on the
track, and they will go on with an interminable series of tales and
legends.
One day, while our camels were tranquilly browsing some thorny shrubs in
the depths of the valley, we sought an asylum from the north wind in a
small tent, whence issued a thick smoke. We found in it an old man who,
knees and hands on the ground, was puffing with all his might at a heap
of argols which he had just placed on the fire. We seated ourselves on a
yak skin. The old man crossed his legs, and held out his hand to us. We
gave him our tea-cups, which he filled with milk tea, saying, "Temouchi"
(drink in peace). He then gazed at us, alternately, with an air of some
anxiety. "_Aka_ (brother)," said we, "this is the first time we have
come to seat ourselves in your tent." "I am old," he replied; "my legs
will scarce sustain me; otherwise, I should have come to Tchogortan to
offer you my khata. According to what the shepherds of the black tents
have told me, you are from the farther Western Heaven." "Yes, our
country is far hence." "Are you from the kingdom of the Samba, or from
that of the Poba?" "From neither; we come from the kingdom of the
French." "Ah, you are Franba? I never before heard of them. 'Tis such
a great place, that West! The kingdoms there are so numerous. But,
after all, it matters not: we are all of the same family, are we not?"
"Yes; assuredly all men are brothers, in whatever kingdom each is born."
"That is true: what you say is founded on reason; all men are brothers.
Yet we know that, under heaven, there exist three great families: we men
of the west are all of the great Thibetian family, as I have heard."
"Aka, do you know whence come the three great families that are beneath
the heaven?" "This is what I have heard about it from Lamas learned in
the things of antiquity. In the beginning, there was on the earth but
one single man; he had neither house nor tent; for in those days, winter
was not cold nor summer hot; the wind did not blow with violence, and
there fell neither rain nor snow; tea grew of itself on the mountains,
and the cattle had nothing to fear from maleficent animals. This man had
three children, who lived a long time with him, feeding upon milk and
fruits. After attaining a very great age, this man died. The three
children consulted what they should do with the body of their father;
they could not agree on the point, for each had a different opinion. One
of them wanted to put him in a coffin, and bury him; the second proposed
to burn him; the third said it would be better to expose him on the top
of a mountain. In the end, they resolved to cut the body into three
pieces, to take each of them one piece, and then to separate. The eldest
had the head and arms for his share: he was the ancestor of the great
Chinese family; and this is why his descendants have become celebrated in
arts and industry, and remarkable for their intelligence, and for the
devices and stratagems they can invent. The youngest, who was the father
of the great Thibetian family, had the chest and stomach for his share,
and this is why the Thibetians are full of heart and courage, fearing not
to encounter death, and ever having among them indomitable tribes. The
middle son, from whom descend the Tartar peoples, received as his
inheritance the lower part of the body. You who have travelled much in
the deserts of the East, must know that the Mongols are simple and timid,
without head and without heart; their only merit consisting in keeping
themselves firm on their stirrups, and solid on their saddles. This is
how the Lamas explain the origin of the three great families that are
beneath heaven, and the difference of their character. This is why the
Tartars are good horsemen, the Thibetians good soldiers, and the Chinese
good traders." As a return to the old man for his interesting chronicle,
we related to him the history of the first man, Adam, of the Deluge, and
of Noah and his three children. He was at first extremely pleased to
find in our story also his three great families; but his surprise was
immense, when he heard us state that the Chinese, the Tartars, and the
Thibetians were all children of Shem, and that besides these, there were
innumerable nations who composed the two other families of Cham and
Japhet. He looked at us fixedly, his mouth half open, and his head, from
time to time, thrown up in amazement, as much as to say: I never thought
the world was so big.
The time had passed rapidly during this archaeological sitting; so, after
saluting the old man, we went to our camels, which we drove home to
Tchogortan, where, fastening them to a stake at the door of our
residence, we proceeded into our humble kitchen to prepare our evening
meal.
Culinarily speaking, we were far better off at Tchogortan than at
Kounboum. In the first place, we had milk, curds, butter, and cheese, _a
discretion_. Then we had discovered a perfect mine, in a hunter of the
vicinity. A few days after our arrival, this Nimrod entered our room,
and taking a magnificent hare from a bag he carried at his back, asked us
whether the Goucho {84} of the Western Heaven ate the flesh of wild
animals. "Certainly," said we; "and we consider hares very nice. Don't
you eat them?" "We laymen do, sometimes, but the Lamas, never. They are
expressly forbidden by the Book of Prayers to eat black flesh." "The
sacred law of Jehovah has prescribed no such prohibition to us." "In
that case keep the animal; and, as you like hares, I will bring you as
many of them every day as you please; the hills about Tchogortan are
completely covered with them."
Just at this point, a Lama chanced to enter our apartment. When he saw,
stretched at our feet, the still warm and bleeding form of the hare,
"Tsong-Kaba! Tsong-Kaba!" exclaimed he, starting back, with a gesture of
horror, and veiling his eyes with both hands. Then, after launching a
malediction against the poor hunter, he asked us whether we should dare
to eat that black flesh? "Why not," rejoined we, "since it can injure
neither our bodies nor our souls?" And thereupon, we laid down certain
principles of morality, to the purport that the eating of venison is, in
itself, no obstacle to the acquisition of sanctity. The hunter was
highly delighted with our dissertation: the Lama was altogether
confounded. He contented himself with saying, by way of reply, that in
us, who were foreigners and of the religion of Jehovah, it might be no
harm to eat hares; but that the Lamas must abstain from it, because, if
they failed to observe the prohibition and their dereliction became known
to the Grand Lama, they would be pitilessly expelled from the Lamasery.
Our thesis having been thus victoriously sustained, we next proceeded to
entertain the proposition of the hunter, to provide us every day with as
many hares as we pleased. First, we asked him whether he was in earnest.
Upon his replying in the affirmative, we told him that every morning he
might bring us a hare, but on the understanding that we were to pay him
for it. "We don't sell hares here," replied he; "but since you will not
accept them gratuitously, you shall give me for each the value of a
gun-charge." We insisted upon a more liberal scale of remuneration, and,
at last, it was arranged that for every piece of game he brought us, we
should give him forty sapeks, equivalent to about four French sous.
We decided upon eating hares for two reasons. First, as a matter of
conscience, in order to prevent the Lamas from imagining that we
permitted ourselves to be influenced by the prejudices of the sectaries
of Buddha; and, secondly, upon a principle of economy; for a hare cost us
infinitely less than our insipid barley-meal.
One day, our indefatigable hunter brought us, instead of a hare, an
immense roebuck, which is also black flesh and prohibited. In order not
to compound in the least degree with Buddhist superstitions, we purchased
the roebuck, for the sum of three hundred sapeks (thirty French sous.)
Our chimney smoked with venison preparations for eight consecutive days,
and all that time Samdadchiemba was in a most amiable frame of mind.
Lest we should contract habits too exclusively carnivorous, we resolved
to introduce the vegetable kingdom into our quotidian alimentation. In
the desert, this was no easy matter. However, by dint of industry,
combined with experience, we ultimately discovered some wild plants,
which, dressed in a particular manner, were by no means to be despised.
We may be permitted to enter into some details on this subject. The
matter in itself is of slight interest; but it may have its use, in
relation to travellers who at any future time may have to traverse the
deserts of Thibet.
When the first signs of germination begin to manifest themselves, if you
scratch up the ground to the depth of about an inch, you will find
quantities of creeping roots, long and thin like dog-grass. This root is
entirely covered with little tubercles, filled with a very sweet liquid.
In order to make an extremely nice dish of this vegetable, you have only
to wash it carefully and then fry it in butter. Another dish, not less
distinguished in our esteem than the preceding, was furnished by a plant
very common in France, and the merit of which has never yet been
adequately appreciated: we refer to the young stems of fern; when these
are gathered quite tender, before they are covered with down, and while
the first leaves are bent and rolled up in themselves, you have only to
boil them in pure water to realize a dish of delicious asparagus. If our
words were of any effect, we would earnestly recommend to the attention
of the Minister of Agriculture this precious vegetable, which abounds, as
yet to no purpose, on our mountains and in our forests. We would also
recommend to him the nettle (_urtica urens_), which, in our opinion,
might be made an advantageous substitute for spinage; indeed, more than
once, we proved this by our own experience. The nettle should be
gathered quite young when the leaves are perfectly tender. The plant
should be pulled up whole, with a portion of the root. In order to
preserve your hands from the sharp biting liquid which issues from the
points, you should wrap them in linen of close texture. When once the
nettle is boiled, it is perfectly innocuous, and this vegetable, so rough
in its exterior, then becomes a very delicate dish.
We were able to enjoy this delightful variety of esculents for more than
a month. Then, the little tubercles of the fern became hollow and horny,
and the stems themselves grew as hard as wood; while the nettles, armed
with a long white beard, presented only a menacing and awful aspect.
Later in the year, when the season was more advanced, the perfumed
strawberry of the mountain and the white mushroom of the valley, became
invaluable substitutes for fern and nettle. But we had to wait a long
time for these luxuries, the cold in these countries being of protracted
duration, and the vegetation, of consequence, exceedingly late.
Throughout June there is snow still falling, and the wind is so cold that
you cannot, without imprudence, throw aside your fur coats. With the
first days of July, the warmth of the sun begins to be felt, and the rain
falls in heavy showers; no sooner has the sky cleared up, than a warm
vapour rises from the earth, in surprising abundance. You see it first
skimming the surface of the valleys and the low hills; then it condenses,
and oscillates about somewhat above the surface, becoming, by degrees, so
thick that it obscures the light of day. When this vapour has ascended
high enough in the air to form great clouds, the south wind rises, and
the rain again pours down upon the earth. Then the sky becomes clear
once more, and once more the vapour rises and rises, and so it goes on.
These atmospheric revolutions continue for a fortnight. Meanwhile, the
earth is in a sort of fermentation: all the animals keep crouching on the
ground, and men, women, and children feel, in every limb, vague,
indescribable discomfort and disability. The Si-Fan call this period the
season of land vapours.
Immediately that the crisis is past, the grass in the valley grows
visibly, and the mountains and hills around are covered, as by
enchantment, with flowers and verdure. The period was also one of
palingenesis for our camels. They became wholly divested of their hair,
which fell from them in large flakes, like rags, and for a few days they
were as bare as though they had been closely shaved from the muzzle of
the nose to the tip of the tail. In this condition, they were perfectly
hideous. In the shade they shook with cold in every limb, and at night
we were obliged to cover them with great pieces of felt to keep them from
dying with cold. After four days had elapsed, the hair began to
re-appear. First, it was merely a red down, extremely fine and curling,
like lamb's wool. The intense ugliness of the animals during their state
of nudity, made them appear perfectly beautiful in their new attire,
which was completed in a fortnight. Thus new dressed, they rushed with
ardour to the pasturages, in order to get up respectable dimensions and
adequate strength for their autumnal journey. To sharpen their
appetites, we had purchased some sea salt, of which we gave them a large
dose every morning, before they went into the valley: and every evening,
on their return, we gave them another dose, to aid them to ruminate,
during the night, the immense mass of forage which they had amassed in
their stomachs during the day.
The new coating of our camels had enriched us with an immense quantity of
hair; we exchanged one-half of it for barley-meal, and the question then
arose, what was the best use we could make of the remainder? A Lama, who
was a skilful ropemaker, suggested an excellent idea: he pointed out that
during the long journey through Thibet, we should need a large supply of
cord wherewith to fasten the luggage, and that ropes made of camel's hair
were, on account of their flexibility, the best for cold countries. The
suggestion, so full of wisdom, was at once adopted. The Lama gave us,
gratuitously, a few lessons in his art, and we set to work. In a very
short time, we were able to twist our material tolerably well, so as to
give it a form approximately, at least, resembling rope. Every day when
we went out to tend our cattle, each of us took under his arm a bundle of
camel's hair, which on his way he twisted into the smaller strings, that,
on our return, we combined into larger cords.
Samdadchiemba contented himself with looking on as we worked, and with an
occasional smile at our slips. Partly through idleness, partly through
vanity, he abstained from lending us a hand. "My spiritual fathers,"
said he, one day, "how can people of your quality demean yourselves by
rope-making? Would it not be much more proper to buy what ropes you
require, or to give the materials out to be made by persons in the
trade?" This question afforded us an opportunity of giving our cameleer
a sound rating. After having emphatically impressed upon him that we
were in no position to play the fine gentlemen, and that we must closely
study economy, we cited to him the example of St. Paul, who had thought
it no derogation from his dignity to labour with his hands, in order to
avoid being of charge to the faithful. So soon as Samdadchiemba learned
that St. Paul had been at the same time a currier and an apostle, he
forthwith abdicated his idleness and his self-sufficiency, and applied
himself with ardour to rope-making. What was our astonishment, on seeing
the fellow at work, to find that he was a first-rate braider, for not an
inkling had he ever given us to that effect! He selected the finest
wool, and with it wove bridles and halters, that were really quite
masterpieces of art. It is almost unnecessary to add that he was
forthwith placed at the head of our rope-making establishment, and that
we submitted ourselves altogether to his directorship.
The fine weather brought to Tchogortan a great number of visitors from
Kounboum, who sought at once change of air, and temporary relaxation from
their studies. Our apartment now became a point of pilgrimage, for no
one thought of spending a day at Tchogortan without paying a visit to the
Lamas of the Western Heaven. Those Lamas, with whom we had formed a more
intimate acquaintance at Kounboum, and who had begun there to inform
themselves as to the truths of the Christian religion, were attracted by
a far higher motive than curiosity; they desired to discourse further of
the holy doctrine of Jehovah, and to seek from us explanations of
difficulties which had occurred to them. Oh! how our hearts were
penetrated with ineffable joy when we heard these Buddhist monks
pronounce with respect the sacred names of Jesus and of Mary, and recite,
with manifest devotion, the prayers we had taught them. The great God,
we doubt not, will place to their favourable account, these first steps
in the path of salvation, and will not fail to send shepherds to bring
quite home to the fold these poor wandering sheep.
Among the Lamas who came to recreate for awhile at Tchogortan, we
remarked especially a number of Tartar-Mongols, who, bringing with them
small tents, set them up in the valley along the stream, or upon the
sides of the most picturesque hills. There they passed whole days
revelling in the delight of the independent life of the nomads,
forgetting for awhile, the constraint and confinement of the Lamanesque
life, in the enjoyment of the free life of the tent. You saw them
running and frolicking about the prairie like children, or wrestling and
exercising the other sports which recalled the days and the land of their
boyhood. The reaction with many of these men became so strong, that even
fixity of tent became insupportable, and they would take it down and set
it up again in some other place, three or four times a day; or they would
even abandon it altogether, and taking their kitchen utensils and their
pails of water and their provisions on their shoulders, would go, singing
and dancing as they went, to boil their tea on the summit of some
mountain, from which they would not descend till nightfall.
We observed, also, flocking to Tchogortan, another class of Lamas not
less interesting than the Mongols; they always arrived at daybreak; their
garments were tucked up to the knees, and on their backs were large osier
baskets; all day long they would traverse the valley and the adjacent
hills, collecting, not strawberries and mushrooms, but the dung which the
herds of the Si-Fan deposit in all directions. On account of this
particular occupation, we named these Lamas Lama-Argoleers, from the
Tartar word argol, which designates animal excrement, when dried and
prepared for fuel. The Lamas who carry on this class of business, are in
general idle, irregular persons, who prefer vagabondizing about on the
hills to study and retirement; they are divided into several companies,
each working under the direction of a superintendent, who arranges and is
responsible for their operations. Towards the close of the day, each man
brings the portion he has collected to the general depot, which is always
situate at the foot of some well, or in the hollow of some valley. There
the raw material is carefully elaborated; it is pounded and moulded into
cakes, which are placed to dry in the sun, and when completely
dessicated, are symmetrically piled, one on the other, the stack, when
formed, being covered with a thick layer of dung, to protect it from the
dissolving action of the rain. In the winter, this fuel is conveyed to
Kounboum, and there sold.
The luxurious variety of combustibles which the civilized nations of
Europe enjoy, have exempted us from the necessity of making any very
profound researches into the divers qualities of argols. Such has not
been the case with the shepherd and nomadic peoples. Long experience has
enabled them to classify argols, with a perspicuity of appreciation which
leaves nothing to be desired in that particular respect. They have
established four grand divisions, to which future generations will
scarcely be able to apply any modification.
In the first rank are placed the argols of goats and sheep; a glutinous
substance that enters largely into its composition, communicates to this
combustible an elevation of temperature that is truly astonishing. The
Thibetians and Tartars use it in the preparation of metals; a bar of
iron, placed in a fire of these argols, is soon brought to white heat.
The residuum deposited by the argols of goats and sheep after combustion,
is a sort of green vitreous matter, transparent, and brittle as glass,
which forms a mass full of cavities and very light; in many respects,
closely resembling pumice stone. You don't find in this residuum any ash
whatever, unless the combustion has been mixed with foreign matter. The
argols of camels constitute the second class; they burn easily, and throw
out a fine flame, but the heat they communicate is less vivid and less
intense than that given by the preceding. The reason of this difference
is, that they contain in combination a smaller proportion of glutinous
substance. The third class comprehends the argols appertaining to the
bovine species; these, when thoroughly dry, burn readily, and produce no
smoke whatever. This is almost the only fuel you find in Tartary and
Thibet. Last come the argols of horses and other animals of that family.
These argols not having, like the others, undergone the process of
rumination, present nothing but a mass of straw more or less triturated;
they throw out a great smoke when burning, and are almost immediately
consumed. They are useful, however, for lighting a fire, filling the
office of tinder and paper to the other combustibles.
We perfectly understand that this rapid and incomplete essay on argols is
not of a character to interest many readers; but we did not feel
justified in either omitting or abridging it, because it has been an
object with us to neglect no document that might be of assistance to
those who, after us, may venture upon nomadic life for awhile.
The inhabitants of the valley of Tchogortan, though in the apparent
enjoyment of profound peace, are, nevertheless, an incessant prey to the
fear of the brigands, who, they informed us, make periodical incursions
from the mountains, and carry off all the cattle they can find. It was
stated that in 1842, these had come in a large body, and devastated the
whole of the surrounding country. At a moment when they were least
expected, they issued from all the outlets of the mountain, and spread
over the valley, sending forth fearful cries, and discharging their
matchlocks. The shepherds, terror-struck by this unforeseen attack, had
not even thought of the slightest resistance, but had fled in disorder,
carrying with them only that which they happened to lay their hands upon
at the moment. The brigands, profiting by this panic fear, burned the
tents, and collected, in one large enclosure, formed with ropes, all the
cattle and sheep they found in and about the place. They then proceeded
to the little Lamasery of Tchogortan. But the Lamas had already
disappeared, with the exception of the hermits, who remained perched on
their nests on the rocks. The brigands carried off or demolished
everything they came to: they burned the idols of Buddha, and broke down
the dams that had been constructed for the purpose of turning the
praying-mills. Three years after the event, we still saw the marked
traces of their ferocious devastations. The Buddhist temple, which had
stood at the foot of the mountain, had not been rebuilt. Its ruins,
blackened with their conflagrations, and some calcined portions of the
idols lay strewed upon the grass. The Lama hermits were spared, indeed;
but this, no doubt, was simply because the brigands saw it would be too
protracted and too arduous a labour to achieve the tormenting them in
their lofty and almost inaccessible abodes. The excesses which they
perpetrated against the black tents and against the temple of Buddha
itself, showed that, if they left the poor recluses unscathed, it was by
no means from respect or compassion.
So soon as the news of the arrival of the brigands reached Kounboum, the
whole Lamasery was afoot, and in commotion. The Lamas rushed to arms
with loud vociferations. They caught up whatever in the shape of a
weapon first came to hand, and dashed off, confusedly, towards the
Lamasery of Tchogortan. But they arrived there too late; the brigands
had disappeared, carrying off all the flocks and herds of the Si-Fan, and
leaving behind them in the valley nothing but smoking ruins.
The shepherds who, since this event, had returned and set up their tents
amidst the pasturages of Tchogortan, were always on the watch, fearful of
a new aggression. From time to time some of them, armed with lances and
guns, would patrol the neighbourhood; a precaution which, though it would
certainly have by no means intimidated the brigands, had at least the
advantage of communicating a certain degree of fancied security to the
population.
Towards the end of August, while we were quietly occupied in the
manufacture of our ropes, sinister rumours began to circulate; by degrees
they assumed all the character of certain intelligence [Picture: The
Pyramid of Peace] and no doubt was entertained that we were threatened
with a new and terrible invasion of brigands. Every day we were alarmed
with some fresh fact of a formidable nature. The shepherds of such a
place had been surprised, their tents burned, and their flocks driven
off. Elsewhere there had been a tremendous battle, in which a number of
persons had been killed. These rumours became so substantially alarming,
that the administrators of the Lamasery felt bound to adopt some measures
on the subject. They dispatched to Tchogortan a Grand Lama and twenty
students of the Faculty of Prayers, charged with the task of preserving
the locality from any unpleasant occurrence. On their arrival, these
Lamas convoked the chiefs of the Si-Fan families, and announced that now
they were come, the people had nothing to fear. Next morning, they all
ascended the highest mountain in the neighbourhood, set up some
travelling tents there, and proceeded to recite prayers to the
accompaniment of music. They remained in this encampment two whole days,
which they occupied in praying, in exorcising, and in constructing a
small pyramid of earth, whitened with lime, and above which floated, at
the end of a mast, a flag on which were printed various Thibetian
prayers. This modest edifice was entitled the Pyramid of Peace. These
ceremonies completed, the Lamas, great and small, folded their tents,
descended from the mountain, and quietly returned to Kounboum, fully
persuaded that they had opposed to the brigands an impassable barrier.
The Pyramid of Peace did not appear, however, to have infused equal
confidence into the hearts of the herdsmen; for, one fine morning, they
all decamped together, bag and baggage, and went with their herds and
flocks to seek a less dangerous position elsewhere. They invited us to
follow their example, but we preferred to remain where we were, for in
the desert there is scarcely one place more secure than another. The
flight of the shepherds, besides, seemed to us a guarantee that our
tranquillity would not be disturbed, for we considered that the brigands,
when they learned that no flocks remained in the valley of Tchogortan,
would feel no interest in paying us a visit. We therefore, in our turn,
raised up in our hearts a Pyramid of Peace, in the form of a firm
reliance on the divine protection; and, thus fortified, we abode calmly
and fearlessly in our adopted home.
For some days we enjoyed the most profound solitude. Since the
disappearance of the herds and flocks, the argoleers, having nothing to
do, had kept away. We were alone with a Lama, left in charge of the
Lamasery. Our animals profited by the change, for now all the pasturages
of the valley were theirs; they could browse wherever they liked over the
valley, fearless of meeting a single competitor.
The desert, however, became after a time, once more alive, and towards
the commencement of September, the Lamas of the Faculty of Medicine
repaired to Tchogortan, for the purpose of botanizing. The disposable
houses received all they could contain, and the rest dwelt in tents,
sheltered by the great trees of the Lamasery. Every morning, after they
have recited their prayers in common, drunk their buttered tea, and eaten
their barley-meal, all the students in medicine tuck up their garments,
and go forth on the mountains, under the guidance of one of their
professors. They are each provided with a long iron-pointed stick, and a
small pick-axe; a leathern bag, filled with meal, is suspended from the
girdle, and some carry at their backs great tea-kettles, for the Faculty
spend the entire day on the mountain. Before sunset, the Lama physicians
return laden with perfect faggots of branches, and piles of plants and
grasses. As you see them weariedly descending the mountains, supported
by their long staves and bearing these burdens, they look more like
poaching woodcutters than like future doctors in medicine. We were often
obliged to escort in person those of the number who had special charge of
the aromatic plants; for our camels, which, attracted by the odour,
always put themselves in pursuit of these personages, would otherwise
inevitably, and without the smallest scruple, have devoured those
precious simples, destined for the relief of suffering humanity. The
remainder of the day is occupied in cleaning and spreading out on mats
these various products of the vegetable kingdom. The medical harvest
lasted eight whole days. Five other days are devoted to the selection
and classification of the various articles. On the fourteenth day, a
small portion is given to each student, the great bulk remaining the
property of the Faculty of Medicine. The fifteenth day is kept as a
festival, in the form of a grand banquet of tea with milk, barley-meal,
little cakes fried in butter, and boiled mutton. Thus terminates this
botanico-medical expedition, and the illustrious Faculty gaily returns to
the Grand Lamasery.
The drugs collected at Tchogortan are deposited in the general drug-room
of Kounboum. When they have been thoroughly dried in the heat of a
moderate fire, they are reduced to powder, and then divided into small
doses, which are neatly enveloped in red paper, and labelled with
Thibetian characters. The pilgrims who visit Kounboum, buy these
remedies at exorbitant prices. The Tartar-Mongols never return home
without an ample supply of them, having an unlimited confidence in
whatever emanates from Kounboum. On their own mountains and prairies
they would find exactly the same plants, the same shrubs, the same roots,
the same grasses; but then how different must be the plants, shrubs,
roots, and grasses that grow and ripen in the birth-place of Tsong-Kaba!
The Thibetian physicians are as empirical as those of other
countries--possibly somewhat more so. They assign to the human frame
forty hundred and forty maladies, neither more nor less. The books which
the Lamas of the Faculty of Medicine are obliged to study and to learn by
heart, treat of these four hundred and forty maladies, indicating their
characteristics, the means of identifying them, and the manner of
combating them. These books are a hotch-potch of aphorisms, more or less
obscure, and of a host of special recipes. The Lama physicians have not
so great a horror of blood as the Chinese physicians have--they bleed
sometimes, and cup often. In the latter operation, they first subject
the skin of the part to slight excoriations; and afterwards place over it
a bullock's horn, open at the point. They exhaust the air within, and
when a sufficient vacuum is obtained, stop up the hole with a pellet of
chewed paper. When they wish to remove the cup they have only to remove
this mastic.
The Lama physicians attach extreme importance to the inspection of the
patient's water. They always require various specimens of it, collected
at different hours of the day and night. They examine it with the most
minute attention, and take the greatest heed to all the changes undergone
by its colour. They whip it, from time to time, with a wooden spatula,
and then put it up to the ear to ascertain what degree, if any, of noise
it makes; for in their view, a patient's water is mute or silent,
according to his state of health. A Lama physician, to attain the
character of thorough ability in his profession, must be able to treat
and cure a patient without having ever seen him, the inspection of the
water sufficing as a guide in the preparation of his prescriptions.
As we have said elsewhere, in speaking of the Tartar-Mongols, the Lamas
introduce many superstitious practices into medicine. Yet,
notwithstanding all this quackery, there is no doubt that they possess an
infinite number of very valuable recipes, the result of long experience.
It were, perhaps, rash to imagine that medical science has nothing to
learn from the Tartar, Thibetian, and Chinese physicians, on the pretext
that they are not acquainted with the structure and mechanism of the
human body. They may, nevertheless, be in possession of very important
secrets, which science alone, no doubt, is capable of explaining, but
which, very possibly, science itself may never discover. Without being
scientific, a man may very well light upon extremely scientific results.
In China, Tartary, and Thibet, everybody can make gunpowder; yet it may
be safely propounded that not one of these powder-makers can explain
scientifically this chemical operation; each man has a good receipt for
making the powder, and he makes it.
Towards September, we received the joyful intelligence that the Thibetian
embassy had arrived at Tang-Keou-Eul, where it was to remain for several
days, in order to lay in a stock of provisions, and arrange its order of
march. Thus, then, after long and annoying delay, we were about to
proceed to the capital of Thibet. We made, without loss of time, all our
necessary preparations. First we had to pay a visit to Kounboum, in
order to purchase provisions for four months, since, on the whole route,
there was not the least hope of finding any thing to buy that we might
want. Upon a careful calculation, we found that we should require five
bricks of tea, two sheep's paunches of butter, two sacks of flour, and
eight sacks of tsamba. Tsamba is the name given here to barley-meal, the
insipid article which constitutes the ordinary food of the Thibetians.
They take a tea-cup half filled with boiling tea; to this they add some
pinches of tsamba, and then mix these materials together with the finger,
into a sort of wretched paste, neither cooked nor uncooked, hot nor cold,
which is then swallowed, and is considered breakfast, dinner, or supper,
as the case may be. If you desire to cross the desert to Lha-Ssa, you
must perforce resign yourself to tsamba; 'tis to no avail the French
traveller sighs for his accustomed knife and fork, and his accustomed
knife and fork dishes: he must do without them.
Persons, full of experience and philanthropy, counselled us to lay in a
good store of garlic, and every day to chew several cloves of it, unless
we wished to be killed on our way by the deleterious vapours, that
emanated from certain elevated mountains. We did not discuss the merits
of this hygeianic advice, but adopted it with absolute confidingness.
Our residence in the valley of Tchogortan had been in a high degree
advantageous to our animals, which had become fatter than we had ever
before known them; the camels, in particular, were magnificently stout;
their humps, made firm with solid flesh, rose proudly on their backs, and
seemed to defy the fatigues and privations of the desert. Still, even in
their improved condition, three camels were not enough to carry our
provisions and our baggage. We accordingly added to our caravan a
supplementary camel and horse, which lightened our exchequer to the
extent of twenty-five ounces of silver; moreover, we hired a young Lama
of the Ratchico mountains, with whom we had become acquainted at
Kounboum, and who was admitted into our party in the capacity of
pro-cameleer. This appointment, while it raised the social condition of
Samdadchiemba, diminished also the fatigues of his functions. According
to this new arrangement, the little caravan was disposed in the following
order: the pro-cameleer, Charadchambeul, went on foot, and led after him
the four camels, who marched in Indian file, the one fastened to the tail
of the other; Samdadchiemba, cameleer-in-chief, rode his little black
mule beside the camels, and the two missionaries closed the procession,
each mounted on a white horse. After having exchanged infinite khatas
with our acquaintance and friends at Kounboum and Tchogortan, we
proceeded on our route, directing our march towards the Blue Sea, where
we were to await the Thibetian embassy.
From Tchogortan to the Koukou-Noor was four days' march. We passed on
our way a small Lamasery, called Tansan, containing at most two hundred
Lamas; its site is perfectly enchanting; rocky mountains, covered with
shrubs and tall firs, form for it a circular enclosure, in the centre of
which rise the habitations of the Lamas. A stream, bordered with willows
and fine longwort, after tranquilly encircling the Lamasery, dashes over
a rocky fall, and continues its course in the desert. The Buddhist
monastery of Tansan is, they say, very rich, being largely endowed by the
Mongol princes of Koukou-Noor with annual contributions.
On leaving the Lamasery of Tansan, we entered an extensive plain, where
numerous Mongol tents and flocks of every kind picturesquely variegated
the verdure of the pastures. We met two Lamas on horseback, who were
seeking contributions of butter from the wealthy shepherds of the
locality. Their course is this: they present themselves at the entrance
of each tent, and thrice sound a marine conch. Thereupon, some member of
the family brings out a small roll of butter, which, without saying a
word, he deposits in a bag, suspended from the saddle of each Lama's
horse. The Lamas never once alight, but content themselves with riding
up to each tent, and announcing their presence to the inmates by the
sound of the shell.
As we advanced, the country became more fertile and less mountainous,
until at length, we reached the vast and magnificent pasturage of
Koukou-Noor. There vegetation is so vigorous, that the grass rose up to
the stomachs of our camels. Soon we discovered, far before us, quite in
the horizon, what seemed a broad silver riband, above which floated light
vapours that, rising, became lost in the azure of the heavens. Our
pro-cameleer informed us that this was the Blue Sea. His words filled us
with a tremulous joy; we urged on our animals, and the sun had not set
when we planted our tent within a hundred paces of the waters of the
great Lake.
[Picture: Leaf of the Tree of Ten Thousand Images]
[Picture: The Blue Sea]