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402
CHAPTER XXVII.
ESCORTED BACK.—A FRESH ATTEMPT.
For four days we were accompanied by the Tibetan escort,
the leaders of which, Solang Undy, Anna Tsering and
the old man Dakkyeh, were exceptionally pleasant
and agreeable fellows, and from the very first evening we
were on the best of terms with them. At first we were,
of course, closely watched. Horsemen rode behind us,
horsemen rode in front of us, while there were others on
both sides, and when we encamped they pitched their
tents quite close to ours ; but gradually they allowed us
more freedom. It was, I admit, irksome to have to retrace
our steps ; but our escort amused us immensely, and we
never grew tired of watching the ways and doings of these
half-wild mountaineers, with their long black muskets and
forked supports, their spears and lances, and swords. We
frequently met small patrols of cavalry, who no doubt had
been making a reconnaissance towards our main caravan,
and they sometimes turned and accompanied our caval-
cade. Amongst them were two or three venerable lamas,
who as they rode kept swinging their korlehs, or prayer-
wheels, and mumbling in a singing, flowing sort of rhythm
their everlasting On maneh padmeh hum !
When the time came for pitching the tents, they always
asked me politely whether I was ready to stop, or wanted
to go on further. But as a rule I let them choose the
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