When we got up in the morning a great many yaks came in laden with Tibetan wool, which the natives barter with Tibetans in exchange for food-stuff, and also long strings of sheep and goats with double sacks slung across the back and filled with borax. With some of these caravans, unluckily, arrived—unseen by me—some Tibetan spies, and they at once set to work to scare the villagers. There was a sudden commotion in the village, the natives ran here and there conveying their children, goods, and chattels into their houses, and in these they barricaded themselves. Only the chief remained cool and collected; and, to avoid getting [[117]]him into trouble, and by way of precaution, I shifted my quarters from his house to a high point commanding the village, where I pitched my tents, placing men with loaded rifles on guard of my baggage.
It looked very much as if there were trouble brewing ahead. Some of these Nepalese Shokas are very curious people, shifty and unfathomable, the life they lead being one of semi-brigandage and trading. They are interesting enough as a type—flat-faced and of strongly Mongolian features, as in the portraits of the long-haired young men I give in two of the coloured plates—and they have from contact adopted some of the dash and independence of the Nepalese. We took no notice of the warlike preparations, and when some young fellows, bolder than the rest, came out of their houses to inform us rudely that we must go at once, they duly had their heads punched. We would go when it pleased me, and not before.
Bad luck never comes singly, but it can sometimes be turned into good luck. A Nepalese agent also arrived early that morning, and could persuade no more messengers to come and approach me on the subject of departing from their country, so he had to come on the errand himself. [[118]]
With many salaams the Nepalese officer came forth, and, after tender inquiries after every possible existing and imaginary relative of mine he could think of, he gently entered upon the question of my leaving the country. Asked whether he would like his head punched too, or a gift of five rupees not to worry me and induce the natives to sell me 300 lbs. of rice, some goats, ghur, and butter, he at once said he preferred the five rupees, and would endeavour to do all he could to be of assistance. In fact, he went into the village again, and shortly after the provisions were duly sold to me.
You see, five rupees would be to him, in Nepal, as much as he would receive in cash from his Government for two months’ salary.
We sacrificed a goat for luck—the luck consisting chiefly in the dinner that followed—and in the afternoon we made a start in order to cross the Tibetan frontier.
Author’s Tents. A Camp in Nepal
The Tinker village is perched on a height some distance from the spot where the two principal sources of the Tinker river join—one coming from the five glaciers to the east (those described in the previous chapter), the other source descending precipitously and with great force from the Tinker [[119]]Glacier higher up, to the north of the village, and spreading in a N.E. direction.
Tinker itself is a quaint and interesting place. Flying prayers—generally pieces of white cloth—decorated every roof in the village, and some shrubs were similarly decorated with hundreds of strips of cloth—red, blue, or white—deposited there by devotees. Chokdens—piles of stones—were numerous, many of them constructed of stones each of which was inscribed with the Tibetan prayer—“Om mani padme hum.”