CHAPTER XV

　　In no other way can I describe the journey from the River Ero tothe border of Tibet. About eleven hundred miles through the snowysteppes, over mountains and across deserts we traveled in forty-eight days. We hid from the people as we journeyed, made shortstops in the most desolate¹ places, fed for whole weeks on nothingbut raw, frozen meat in order to avoid attracting attention by thesmoke of fires. Whenever we needed to purchase a sheep or a steerfor our supply department, we sent out only two unarmed men whorepresented to the natives that they were the workmen of someRussian colonists². We even feared to shoot, although we met agreat herd³ of antelopes⁴ numbering as many as five thousand head.

Behind Balir in the lands of the Lama Jassaktu Khan, who hadinherited his throne as a result of the poisoning of his brother atUrga by order of the Living Buddha⁵, we met wandering RussianTartars who had driven their herds⁶ all the way from Altai andAbakan. They welcomed us very cordially, gave us oxen and thirty-six bricks of tea. Also they saved us from inevitable⁷ destruction,for they told us that at this season it was utterly⁸ impossible forhorses to make the trip across the Gobi, where there was no grassat all. We must buy camels by exchanging for them our horses andsome other of our bartering⁹ supplies. One of the Tartars the nextday brought to their camp a rich Mongol with whom he drove thebargain for this trade. He gave us nineteen camels and took allour horses, one rifle, one pistol and the best Cossack saddle. Headvised us by all means to visit the sacred Monastery¹⁰ ofNarabanchi, the last Lamaite monastery on the road from Mongolia toTibet. He told us that the Holy Hutuktu, "the Incarnate¹¹ Buddha,"would be greatly offended if we did not visit the monastery and hisfamous "Shrine¹² of Blessings," where all travelers going to Tibetalways offered prayers. Our Kalmuck Lamaite supported the Mongolin this. I decided¹³ to go there with the Kalmuck. The Tartars gaveme some big silk hatyk as presents and loaned us four splendidhorses. Although the monastery was fifty-five miles distant, bynine o'clock in the evening I entered the yurta of this holyHutuktu.

He was a middle-aged¹⁴, clean shaven, spare little man, laboringunder the name of Jelyb Djamsrap Hutuktu. He received us verycordially and was greatly pleased with the presentation of thehatyk and with my knowledge of the Mongol etiquette¹⁵ in which myTartar had been long and persistently¹⁶ instructing me. He listenedto me most attentively¹⁷ and gave valuable advice about the road,presenting me then with a ring which has since opened for me thedoors of all Lamaite monasteries¹⁸. The name of this Hutuktu ishighly esteemed¹⁹ not only in all Mongolia but in Tibet and in theLamaite world of China. We spent the night in his splendid yurtaand on the following morning visited the shrines²⁰ where they wereconducting very solemn services with the music of gongs, tom-tomsand whistling. The Lamas with their deep voices were intoning theprayers while the lesser²¹ priests answered with their antiphonies.

The sacred phrase: "Om! Mani padme Hung!" was endlessly repeated.

The Hutuktu wished us success, presented us with a large yellowhatyk and accompanied us to the monastery gate. When we were inour saddles he said:

"Remember that you are always welcome guests here. Life is verycomplicated and anything may happen. Perhaps you will be forced infuture to re-visit distant Mongolia and then do not miss NarabanchiKure."That night we returned to the Tartars and the next day continuedour journey. As I was very tired, the slow, easy motion of thecamel was welcome and restful to me. All the day I dozed²² off atintervals to sleep. It turned out to be very disastrous²³ for me;for, when my camel was going up the steep bank of a river, in oneof my naps I fell off and hit my head on a stone, lostconsciousness and woke up to find my overcoat covered with blood.

My friends surrounded me with their frightened faces. Theybandaged my head and we started off again. I only learned longafterwards from a doctor who examined me that I had cracked myskull as the price of my siesta²⁴.

We crossed the eastern ranges of the Altai and the Karlik Tag,which are the most oriental sentinels the great Tian Shan systemthrows out into the regions of the Gobi; and then traversed fromthe north to the south the entire width of the Khuhu Gobi. Intensecold ruled all this time and fortunately the frozen sands gave usbetter speed. Before passing the Khara range, we exchanged ourrocking-chair steeds for horses, a deal in which the Torgutsskinned us badly like the true "old clothes men" they are.

Skirting around these mountains we entered Kansu. It was adangerous move, for the Chinese were arresting all refugees and Ifeared for my Russian fellow-travelers. During the days we hid inthe ravines, the forests and bushes, making forced marches atnight. Four days we thus used in this passage of Kansu. The fewChinese peasants we did encounter were peaceful appearing and mosthospitable. A marked sympathetic interest surrounded the Kalmuck,who could speak a bit of Chinese, and my box of medicines.

Everywhere we found many ill people, chiefly afflicted²⁵ with eyetroubles, rheumatism²⁶ and skin diseases.

As we were approaching Nan Shan, the northeast branch of the AltynTag (which is in turn the east branch of the Pamir and Karakhorumsystem), we overhauled²⁷ a large caravan²⁸ of Chinese merchants goingto Tibet and joined them. For three days we were winding²⁹ throughthe endless ravine-like valleys of these mountains and ascendingthe high passes. But we noticed that the Chinese knew how to pickthe easiest routes for caravans³⁰ over all these difficult places.

In a state of semi-consciousness I made this whole journey towardthe large group of swampy³¹ lakes, feeding the Koko Nor and a wholenetwork of large rivers. From fatigue³² and constant nervous strain,probably helped by the blow on my head, I began suffering fromsharp attacks of chills and fever, burning up at times and thenchattering so with my teeth that I frightened my horse who severaltimes threw me from the saddle. I raved³³, cried out at times andeven wept. I called my family and instructed them how they mustcome to me. I remember as though through a dream how I was takenfrom the horse by my companions, laid on the ground, supplied withChinese brandy and, when I recovered a little, how they said to me:

"The Chinese merchants are heading for the west and we must travelsouth.""No! To the north," I replied very sharply.

"But no, to the south," my companions assured me.

"God and the Devil!" I angrily ejaculated, "we have just swum theLittle Yenisei and Algyak is to the north!""We are in Tibet," remonstrated³⁴ my companions. "We must reach theBrahmaputra."Brahmaputra. . . . Brahmaputra. . . . This word revolved³⁵ in myfiery brain, made a terrible noise and commotion³⁶. Suddenly Iremembered everything and opened my eyes. I hardly moved my lipsand soon I again lost consciousness. My companions brought me tothe monastery of Sharkhe, where the Lama doctor quickly brought meround with a solution of fatil or Chinese ginseng. In discussingour plans he expressed grave doubt as to whether we would getthrough Tibet but he did not wish to explain to me the reason forhis doubts.

1 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

2 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

4 antelopes   

羚羊( antelope的名词复数 )； 羚羊皮革

参考例句：

• One jump, and you're out, and we'll run for it like antelopes.' 你只要一跳就出来了，我们可以像羚羊那样飞快地逃掉。”
• Most antelopes can withhold their young for weeks, even months. 绝大部分羚羊能把分娩期推迟几个星期，甚至几个月。

5 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

6 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

7 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

8 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

9 bartering   

v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Parliament would be touchy about bartering British soil for ships. 用英国国土换取舰只，议会感到为难。 来自辞典例句
• In former times trade was based on bartering--goods were exchanged for other goods. 以前，贸易是以易货（即货物交换）的方式进行的。 来自辞典例句

10 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。

11 incarnate   

adj.化身的，人体化的，肉色的

参考例句：

• She was happiness incarnate.她是幸福的化身。
• That enemy officer is a devil incarnate.那个敌军军官简直是魔鬼的化身。

12 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

15 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

16 persistently   

ad.坚持地；固执地

参考例句：

• He persistently asserted his right to a share in the heritage. 他始终声称他有分享那笔遗产的权利。
• She persistently asserted her opinions. 她果断地说出了自己的意见。

17 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 monasteries   

修道院( monastery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候，中国有许多寺院。
• The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。

19 esteemed   

adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为

参考例句：

• The art of conversation is highly esteemed in France. 在法国十分尊重谈话技巧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He esteemed that he understood what I had said. 他认为已经听懂我说的意思了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

21 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

22 dozed   

v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

24 siesta   

n.午睡

参考例句：

• Lots of people were taking a short siesta in the shade.午后很多人在阴凉处小睡。
• He had acquired the knack of snatching his siesta in the most unfavourable circumstance.他学会了在最喧闹的场合下抓紧时间睡觉的诀窍。

25 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

26 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

27 overhauled   

v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. 一年内这个政党已大刀阔斧地整顿了结构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A mechanic overhauled the car's motor with some new parts. 一个修理工对那辆汽车的发动机进行了彻底的检修，换了一些新部件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

29 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

30 caravans   

（可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队）

参考例句：

• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles that are pulled by horses. 旧式的吉卜赛大篷车是由马拉的涂了颜色的木质车辆。
• Old-fashioned gypsy caravans are painted wooden vehicles. 旧时的吉普赛大篷车是涂了颜色的木质车辆。

31 swampy   

adj.沼泽的，湿地的

参考例句：

• Malaria is still rampant in some swampy regions.疟疾在一些沼泽地区仍很猖獗。
• An ox as grazing in a swampy meadow.一头牛在一块泥泞的草地上吃草。

32 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

33 raved   

v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说

参考例句：

• Andrew raved all night in his fever. 安德鲁发烧时整夜地说胡话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They raved about her beauty. 他们过分称赞她的美。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

34 remonstrated   

v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫

参考例句：

• They remonstrated with the official about the decision. 他们就这一决定向这位官员提出了抗议。
• We remonstrated against the ill-treatment of prisoners of war. 我们对虐待战俘之事提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

35 revolved   

v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The fan revolved slowly. 电扇缓慢地转动着。
• The wheel revolved on its centre. 轮子绕中心转动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

36 commotion   

n.骚动，动乱

参考例句：

• They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
• Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。