Show I V V-AT V AT LHASA J By Alexandra Ned David Copyright 1926 by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate All rights of reproduction translation translation and J J t adaptation res reserved for all ail countries s including Holland and Scandinavia avla Mme Nee David is a French scholar and she prepared for her herS great adventure Into the forbidden city by living two years in a cave in the Himalayas Himalaya where she studied the Tibetan language and religion under the tutelage of a hermit She absorbed much of the mysticism and occultism of ancient Eastern philosophy while retaining retaining retain retain- ing log her French clarity and sanity of thought Mme David Neel tells h her r story simply but it flicks the imagination nevertheless nevertheless- especially the lonely nights in the mountains with a n companion of ali alien n race to whom a shadow was a portent of the anger of the gods and who drew a magic megie sign on a rock to dispel a mirage of a village that lay across their path y The first creeping in of ot western civilization at Lh Lhasa sa can be seen In the shape of ot soldiers clad in khakI chaki I really enjoyed seeing them headed by a band which played not too badly English tunes marching in a swaggering way and out of ot time with the mu mu- sic They are armed with old English English En En- glish gush guns that are still up to date in m most p parts of pf central Asia aldeen ald even en possess a few Cew pieces of ot mountain mountain moun moun- tam tain artillery that ar are arC carried on They are Immensely proud of at them then and air all the short tat fat toad-like toad weapons at any time and out of time as if they were I pet et dogs One of them burst killIng killIng killing kill- kill Ing several men but the accident did not lessen the admiration that the Lhasa pas ras people of oC Lhasa have for tor those which remain In that blessed country occurrences of that kind ar al' even sometimes believed to be auspicious In hn this connection I can relate a fact which happened during my stay at Lhasa I It is the custom during the first month of ot the year to cast lots and to lo look In In many manya a ways s for omens n ens regarding tOe prosperity or 01 III iuca I that Is to come to the state and especially to the person of ot the Dalal Dalai Lama One of the omens is obtained In Ina ina I a a. rather strange way Three tents are erected and In each of them an animal is shut shut shut-a. a cock a 11 goat gout and a hare These beasts bear hung around their necks charms which have been blessed by the Dalai Dalal Lama A number Jumber of men must fire at the tents and if any of the animals Is wounded or killed it means that calamities are awaitIng awaitIng awaiting await await- ing Tibet and Its ruler In this case the monks of the three great monasteries monasteries mon mon- Sera Galden and Depung must assemble and during twenty days read the sacred scriptures and perform several ceremonies to counteract counteract counteract coun coun- the ill will of oC the deities The year I was at Lhasa about twenty five shots were fired at the tents Instead of fifteen which is the tho usual number English Chinese Chi I nese and Tibetan guns were used I One ot of the latter burst and the man who had fired It was severely wounded and died the next day The fact that no tent had been hit even cn after that prolonged test was considered as most moat auspicious and the accident which brought the death of the man added greatly to the confidence of ot the Tibetans re regarding regarding regarding re- re garding the welfare of uC the lama lamit king The unfortunate commoner they thought had been taken by some angry demon as a substitute for the more precious existence of the ruler NEW YEAR FESTIVAL A very famous festival takes place each year year at Lhasa on the evening of oC the full lull moon oon of ot the first month Light wooden structures of ofa ofa I Ia a Urge large size c are art entirely covered with ornaments and Images of gods m men n and animals all made in butter dy dyed d In different colors These frail trail structures are arc called In front of oC each Mch of th them m a a. large number number number num num- ber of butter lamps lamp burn on a small alfar altar That nocturnal feast Is meant to entertain the gods od Just as aa are certain concerts on th the roofs of the temples I 1 very much enjoyed that part of t the New ew Year merriments As soon oon as 51 darkness had come and the lamps lampi began to b be ba lighted and I went to the Ta Pa Kor A dense dens crowd was there waiting for the Dalai Dalal Lama who ua to toSO togo togo go SO round to Inspect the I had more than once seen sen big Tibetan gatherings II but i l went through them with servants and other attendants who made a way for I inc me ThU Ihl was m my first t- t c ence of ot being par part of ot the crowd myself A group of ot sturdy giants men cow-men clad in sheep skin holdIng holding holdIng hold- hold Ing each other ran for joy In the Ute deepest of or the throng their big fists lists belaboring the ribs of oC those whom bad luck had placed on their way say Policeman armed with long sticks and whips growing more and more excited as the time of oC th the Delai Deai Lamas Lama's coming approached approached approached ap ap- ap- ap used their weapons in indiscriminately indiscrimInately in- in against anybody Then some more policemen polle-emen appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap followed by soldiers the knocking beating boxing In Increased increased In- In creased some women screamed others laughed a at last there remained re remained re- re along the walls of ot the houses that confronted the only a a few rows of oC p people ople more tightly pressed against each other othel than tinned sardines sardine The whole Lhasa a garrison was under arms Infantry and cavalry marched past the dazzling butter edifices lighted up by thousands of lamps In a sedan chair covered with yellow brocade the Dalai Dalal Lama Lama La La- ma passed in itt his turn For a long longtime longtime longtime time after aCter he had gone private processions processions pro pro- cessions passed people of ot rank surrounded surrounded sur Bur rounded by attendants holding Chinese Chinese Chi Chi- nese lanterns high with clerical followers the representative of ot the Nepal clergy nobility wealthy traders and their womenfolk womenfolk womenfolk women women- folk all ail dressed in their best laughIng laugh- laugh Ing Ing all all more or less hess drunk and happy den Yong-den and I went with the crowd running Jostling and pushing pushing pushing push push- ing like everybody else enjoying as youngsters might have done the fun being there When at last the time came to go back to our hovel hove we noticed on our Va way that the streets which ought to have havo been well wen lighted by the full moon were growing darker and darker What meant that We Ve are teetotalers and could not have the same reason as most of ot the Lhasa pas had that evening to have the thc sight obscured Reaching a square we noticed a ablack ablack ablack black shadow in a corner of the moon It was the beginning on an eclipse and soon we heard a noise o of beating drum and cauldron that the good people made to frighten the dragon which was trying to swallow sallow the nocturnal luminary Tho The eclipse was total I observed It during the night and It was the most Interesting one me that I had ever witnessed This is still better than the curlain curtain curtain cur cur- tain lain of oC sand before the Potala the day of oC our arrival said Jocularly Now your our gods are screening the moon so that we wee e could not be seen too distinctly I think you had better ask them em to stop there their kind protection of oui Incognito they incognito they might come to put out the sun sun AN ENDANGERED INCOGNITO Whatever r may have been the pi protection election with which I was favored favored lay lay- ored the day lay came again when the safety of oC my Incognito was endangered endangered endangered and I 1 had to defend it in my myown myown myown own way I was looking In the market when a policeman stopped next me and I gazed at me Intently He lie did not I move but observed me with deep attention Why Maybe labe he only wondered from what part pan of oC Tibet I might be be but it was better to tl foresee the worst A new battle was to be fought and I started It my heart beating rather quickly but brave as usual I chose amongst the things for sale an aluminum saucepan and andI I began to bargain over ove it with that tha ridiculous obstinacy shown by the people of or the tho half hall wild tribes of ot the borderland I offered an absurd absurd absurd ab ab- ab- ab surd price and talked nonsense in a aloud aloud aloud loud voice hardly stopping to breathe People around the open alt all shops began to laugh to exchange exchange ex ex- ex- ex change chanse Jokes about me the me-the the cowmen cowmen cow cow- men and women of ot the northern solitudes are a habitual subject of mockery for tOl the more civilized Lhasa pas pait Ah Ah said the merchant half laughingly half halt Irritated by my Iny continuous you are a true there can be beno no doubt It it And all present ridiculed the women who knew nothing beside her cattle and the grass of oC the des des- ert The policeman had gone amused like everybody else I bought the saucepan and as I feared being followed I compelled myself to loiter about the market playing a comedy of at admiration and and- stupidity before the most ugly and cheapest goods Then my good goodluck goodluck luck caused me to meet a n group of ot I Irea rea real I began to talk with I them in their own dialect I had lived in their country some years year ago I r spoke poke of oC places s and me me men known b by them and they were con conk th that t I was born bom In u a neigh neighboring boring tribe I have n. n no doubt th thai tbs with the quickness of that Is peculiar to them they would woul next day have sworn swon- in Ill all sincere Ity that they had Known me for forIng forlong a along long Ing time e. e An Incident of th the same kind kinc happened a few days davs tel this time I was not suspected but a po policeman po policeman tried to extort money fromme fromme from fron me and I managed the thing clever cleverly ly Iy enough to give him nothing without disclosing m my identity Once i in 11 the crow crowd another po po- po hiceman hit me with his i because I had trespassed In a place where people of at rank lank only were ad admitted ad and truly I had that thai da day t to tomake tomake make a n great effort to pre ent my myself myself myself self from giving a gratuity to tha thaman thaman thaman man so delighted was Vas I r with th fun Cun What a wonderful Incognito is mine I repeated to now I am even en beaten lri Ir in inthe the street And after tha thai thaI I felt complete mv ray c ity |