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322 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
far gone ;
in fact, one was already dead, and lay stiff and
cold just beneath the pass. Whenever they were reduced
to this condition, I always had their throats cut to save
them from further suffering, and also from the wolves
which prowl about these mountains in considerable numbers.
Five camels in one day ! The strength of the elite of
the caravan diminished to the extent of one-seventh in a
single stage ! As the loads would now be far too heavy
for the survivors, I gave orders that all the animals should
be allowed to eat as much maize and flour as they liked.
After that we marched on for about six miles, until we
found a tolerable site for the camp ; there we decided to
rest and recover from the fatigues of the last two or three
days. A horse which showed no visible indication of any-
thing being wrong dropped down and died, there and
then, between the tents. From that time it seemed as
though scarcely a day passed but we lost one or other of
our animals. In fact, the route taken by the caravan
might have been traced by the skeletons left behind it.
Assuredly it is a via dolorosa when the milestones of your
road consist of bleaching bones. The greatest possible
attention was now paid to the care of the animals, and
Turdu Bai was unwearied in his efforts to pull them
together. He was able to tell when any of the camels was
approaching its end. When you see a weak camel begin
to weep, you may be quite sure it will not live long. I
have often seen the big bright tears gush out of their eyes
when they were no longer able to get up on their feet.
Midsummer Day morning opened with brilliant sunshine,
and the whole of our company, men, tents and baggage
alike were spread out to dry, after the thorough drenching
we had got in the Arka-tagh. I had now been on the tramp
for two years, but I knew that the third would be the
hardest of all, and that the enterprise which I had in view
was of a perilous nature. After breakfast I made a
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