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352 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
kept quiet, and the neighbourhood appeared to be perfectly
secure. At five o’clock a violent gale set in from the
north, driving clouds of sand and dust across the salt
lake towards our camp. Upon this we took shelter inside
the tent, and sat and talked and smoked until eight o’clock,
and then, having nothing better to do, we turned in and
went to bed. Ordek was guarding our animals a couple of
hundred paces to the west of the camp. He was to keep
watch all night so that we might get a good rest, the last
we were likely to have for some time to come, and in the
morning he was to take one of the baggage-horses and ride
back to the head-quarters’ camp.
At midnight the tent-flap was opened, and Ordek,
creeping on his hands and knees, stuck in his head and
whispered in a terrified voice, " There’s a man—there’s a
man." Without waiting to hear one word more, we at
once seized our weapons and rushed out into the night.
The storm still raged with undiminished violence ; the
moon shone wan and pale amongst the ragged, hurrying
clouds. Ordek led us to the horses that were farthest
distant, where he had seen a dark figure stealthily moving
amongst them. Upon this our hero, whose courage only
flourished in the silent deserts, lost his head completely,
and instead of giving the alarm hurried to the tent to tell
us. We arrived, therefore, upon the scene too late. In
the faint moonshine we detected the dark forms of a couple
of horsemen hurrying over the hills, and driving two un-
bridled horses before them. Shagdur sent a shot after
them, but it failed to take effect. Then he and Ordek
and the Lama mounted and rode after the robbers whilst
I remained with the other animals, for, for all we knew,
we might be surrounded by an entire band of robbers.
But at the end of an hour the men returned without having
either seen or heard anything suspicious.
Thereupon we went back to our little troop, which was
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