IN THE FORBIDDEN LAND.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 9779, 12 January 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

IN THE FORBIDDEN LAND.

Where Torture and Death Await tho ..... Traveller.

I Mr. Henry Savage Landor, whose pluoky attempt to penetrate' (0 Lhassn, the Sacred City of Tibet, created quite a sensation come little time ago, has been giving Ins experience's in a hook entitled "In tho Forbidden Land" (Wm, Heinemann, London.) Only three men havo, within a century, reached this mysterious region of Tibet, Many other attempts have been made, only 10-end in disaster and failure, and while almost every habitable part of the globe Ims been laid open to the explorer, l'ibet has remained an almost unknown country. Some native surveyors of the Indian Government, travelling as Buddhist pilgrims to tho Sacred .City, havo holpofl to throw light upon the 'character of the country and its people. But the jealousy with which the"Tibfetan authorises guard the approaches to their country, and the reputation they have' for their merciless treatment of intruders, havo combined to daunt all but tiie most daring explorers, Thus it is that tho account 0! Mr, Henry Savago Landor's recent journey comes 'to us as a sort of rovelalion, a revelation not 'only of the peculiarities of a strange barbaric nation, hut also of tho amazing powers of enduranco of the human frame when controlled by an indomitable will and supported by an indomitable buoyancy of spirit, Nothing could speak more eloquently of the sufferings which Mr. Limdor endurod in Tibet than a comparison of tho accompanying sketches which aro reproduced from photographs published in " Tho Forbidden Land." Tho first represents the explorer as he appeared in February, 1897. Tho second photograph was token in October of tho samo year. Tho appoarauoe of tho latter is sufficient to convince tho scoptio of tho reality of tho tortures whioh Mr, Laudo* underwent.

_ Oruolty anil cowardice are very oftoil found in close association, ami the Lamas present' no exception in this respect. Mr. Landor and Ohander Sing were subjected to the! most fiendish tortures, and that for several' days in succession. One of Mr, Lander's 1 experiences was the hot-iron torturo, whioh he describes as follows:

"An ironbar with a handlo of woodbount in red cloth was boing made hot in a brazier The Pombo, who bad again placed something in his nioutb to produce artificial foaming al the lips, and so to show his temper, worked himself up into a frenzy. A Lama handed him the implement of torturo (the Taram), now red hot, and the Pombo seized it by the handle.

! ' Ngaglri kin meh taxon!' (' We will burn out your eyes!') cried a chorus of Lamas. : The Pombo strode up to mo, brandishing the ghastly implement. I stared at hira, but bo kept his eyes away from ino, He seemed reluctant, but tho Lamas arouud him /urged him on, lifting tho man's arm towards me. 'Yon have como to this country to see' (alluding to what I had stated the previous day, namely, that I was a traveller and a pilgrim, and bad only como to see the country), 1 This, tbon, is the punishment for you! and with those dreadful words the Pombo raised his arm, and placed tho redhot iron bar parallel to, and about an inch or two from, my eye-balls, and all but touching my nose, Instinctively 1 kept my eyes tightly closed, 1 but the heat was so intense that it seemed' as jf my eyes, the left one especially, were being desiccated, and my nose scorched, Though tho time seemed interminable, 1 do not think that the heated bar was before my eyes actually longer than thirty seconds or so, Yet it was quite long enough, for when I lifted my aching eyelids I saw everything (is in a red mist. My left eye was frightfully painful, and every few seconds it seemed as if something in front of it obscured its ivision. With tho right eye I could still see fairly well, except that everything, as I have said, looked red instead of its usual colour. In view of such ovidences of barbarism, we are not surprised at the various instances pf Superstition among'the Lamas which Mr. . Lander describes, Ono of these instances may be quoted, not merely because it is' typical of the primitive credulity of this £am(iS| but also because it illustrates Mr, Lander's sense of humour, which not even' the £fesence of immediato danger could |crush. When his baggage was searched by jhe liamas, a sponge was found,

•j- The sponge, ft vary large one, was now [reduced to the' thickness of less than an ■inch, owing to the weight that had for weeks lain, upon it.. The Tibetans were greatly puzzled at this new discovery, which they said resembled tindof; and it was touched ;tWifch much caution, for some of tho Lamas jSaid it might explode. When their curiosity ■vyas appeased, they took it-and threw it ftway, It fell near me in a small pool of .water, This was a golden opportunity to frighten my,..gaolers,.and I addressed the .spbhge in English, and with any word that Came into my mouth, pretending to utter" incantations, The Mention of Lamas and joldioij was naturally quickly drawn to thig jjttusual behaviour on my part; and thoy• poiiltl not 6'oho6til'thiir tetr6j when, as I B'polto and louder to the sponge, it gviidmlly Swejkd to its pormal sizo with tho' nioipffi it ((Wrbe'd. • T)ie Tibetans, who at •first could hfttdly believo their eyes at .this, jinojffifwhensijjle - occurrence, became ' so #i!o'Strjikeniii what tl)&y believed to be an: Mhibijjon of toy ooorilt powers that there wiij ® g&fyral sininflede ip eyiry direction, ,/ Ijjcly. visife: Jjo'Mton's wife, who is Wing).'