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STARTING FOR LASSA. .
353
still quietly grazing. We found the five mules and the
two worst horses left ; it was my favourite nag and Shag-
dur’s cream which had been stolen. The way in which
the robbery had been effected was made clear to us after-
wards from the tracks. Three Tibetan horsemen, either
professional robbers or thieves through opportunity, had
evidently dogged our footsteps all day, and made them-
selves accurately acquainted with the position of our camp.
Then, when all was quiet, one of them, cleverly taking
advantage of a concealed hollow, had crept towards our
quietly grazing animals in the teeth of the hard northerly
.gale, and then rising to his feet at a suitable moment he
had rushed in behind the two outside horses and frightened
them off to the west, where the other two Tibetans were
waiting with their horses ready, and all three had then
galloped off over the hills, driving the two stolen horses
before them.
I do not think I was ever so annoyed in my life as I
was then. At first I had but one thought, namely, to track
the thieves down and make them pay dearly for their
exploit. Shagdur was mad to be after them ; his rifle
just burned in his hands. But I soon swallowed down
my wrath sufliciently to take a calm survey of the situation.
With our tired horses we had not the slightest chance of
catching up the Tibetans, who would, of course, take good
care to ride hard for a couple of days without pulling
rein. If two of us pursued the robbers, while two remained
at the camp, we should only divide our strength, and that
would have been excessively unwise now that we were
evidently being watched by enemies. I concluded, there-
fore, that there was nothing to be done : we had had a
proper lesson, and must just make the best of it. The
game had now begun in earnest, and we might any moment
expect a fresh attack. We ought not for a single instant
to relax our vigilance.
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