Tibet and Nepal

This volume is from 1905. Excerpts from the "Once you have visited the snows of the Himahl- yas," said a venerable old man of Kumaon to me, " you will have to return to them time after time until you die. When away from them, all through your life you will ever see them before you in your dreams." Well, that was quite so ; and that is what every- body feels who has spent some time on the higher elevations of that majestic range of mountains. To any one who appreciates Nature in all its grandeur, the fascination is so great that everything else in the way of scenery sinks into perfect insignificance by their side. It is, to my mind, rather a pity that in England people have not yet learnt to call that range by its proper and poetic name " Himahlyas," by which the range is known all over Asia, instead of the distorted "Himalayas," which has no meaning whatever except to natives of these foggy little islands. The Americans, I am glad to say, when the corrected pronunciation was pointed out, at once accepted it, and it is now taught in all the schools. .............................................................................. It was my intention to do a considerable amount of mountaineering en route, and I did it ; but, contrary to the usual custom of British mountain- eering expeditions (which set out with much flourish of trumpets) I did not burden myself with the company of Swiss Alpine guides. Here is the reason. I am well aware that it impresses a good many brainless folks to hear that an expedi- tion to the Andes or the Himahlyas is accompanied, even led, by Swiss guides ; but to any real mountaineer (I do not mean members of Alpine Clubs) the very fact that the members of such an expedition require guides at all is but a plain avowal that they have no faith in themselves, besides displaying a most infantile ignorance of how to find their way about. No mountaineer, who is a real mountaineer, ever needs to be told which is the best way to go up a mountain which is before him. His very instinct and observation tell him. ............................................................................. Everything at Debi Dhura is connected with stones and rocks. Between the two swings and near a quadrangular stone wall some four or five feet high, lay a big natural ball of granite, called " Chela," or " the test of strength." They say that only one man in a hundred can raise it above the ground, one in a thousand is able to lift it up to his waist, and not a human being alive can lift it up and deposit it on the wall. Whoever performed the latter deed would have every happiness for ever. Although according to the priests the stone weighed 4000 Ibs., its actual weight was not more than 350 Ibs.; only it was difficult to get hold of it, and it was well-nigh impossible to do so by sheer strength. But when brute strength fails, ruse is often easily successful, and so, being somewhat versed in the laws of leverage, balance, and impetus, I succeeded, much to the amazement of everybody, in placing that stone upon the wall. It was an effort though, I can tell you.