LITTLE KNOWN BORDER TRIBES

Our trailers — Miss Annie Taylor — Boycotted in Sikkim — Round by Ounia — Difficulty about horses — Brigands with white fur coats — Tibetan chivalry towards women — Across the Yellow River on yak skins — Goloks rob but take no bribes — Observe laws — Golok chieftain a woman — Washing a dying Mohammedan — Difficulties of burial — No cultivation — Traitorous conduct of servant — Travelling by night for safety — Crossing the Drichu — Gorgeous military chieftain — Horses fed on goat's flesh, tea, butter and cheese — Joining a yak caravan — Two hundred yaks — Tibetan morals — R.C. missions — Possibilities of conversion — Beautiful Menia young men — Mrs. Pruen — Black-dressed aborigines — Women dressing for the dance — Dance, flutes and silver necklets — Aborigines' embroidery — Different tribes — Hoa Biao — Head ornaments — Cost of dress .229

ON E of the great excitements in Chinese city life is when a great traveller comes by. Then for a few days at least we all sit at his feet and offer tribute of all our local knowledge and stored-up experience of many years, asking in return for that lively interest we never get from people who live in China, and who almost all seem to grow like the Chinese, apathetic, asking also for some accounts of his past, where he has travelled, what he has seen or done, for all of which there is such ample leisure as one can never find in world centres. Thus we sometimes think on our occasums we enjoy a fuller, richer intercourse with distinguished people than would be possible elsewhere except imder similar circumstances. Most of these travellers are already well known to be collecting materials for their books, which all in due course have appeared and enriched the world's stock of knowledge, but two, who had specially strange tales to tell, have written no books, and some account of their wonderful experiences may be acceptable to the general reader. The one is Miss Annie Taylor, at that time an Associate of the China Inland Mission. She passed through Chungking in the spring on her way home from Tibetan voyagings, which had extended over nearly a year, the greater and most difficult portion of her journey having been made in the depth of winter.

在中國城市生活中的一大興奮時刻，就是當一位偉大的旅行者途經時。至少在接下來的幾天裡，我們都會聽他講述，並獻上我們當地的知識和多年積累的經驗，作為回報，我們尋求的是那種來自外界的濃厚興趣——這種興趣在長期居住中國的人身上幾乎看不到，因為他們幾乎都變得像中國人一樣冷漠。我們還會請求他講述一些過去的經歷，他曾去過的地方，他見過或做過的事情，而這一切都在這裡有充裕的時間來分享，這是在世界大都市中難以找到的。於是，我們有時會覺得，在這樣的場合中，我們享受到了比其他地方更豐富、更深入的與傑出人士的交流，除了在類似的情況下，這在其他地方幾乎不可能發生。這些旅行者中的大多數人已廣為人知，因為他們正在為他們的書籍收集資料，這些書最終都會出版，並豐富世界的知識庫。然而，兩位有著特別奇妙故事的旅行者卻從未寫過書，他們的奇遇可能會令普通讀者感到興趣。第一位是安妮·泰勒小姐（Miss Annie Taylor），當時她是中國內地會的一名會員。她在春天經過重慶，當時正從西藏的旅行中返程。她的這次旅程持續了近一年，其中最困難的部分是在冬季的深處完成的。

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230 IN THE LAND OF THE BLUE GOWN

Miss Taylor, in addition to the suffering inevitable in a country so bare of food and shelter as is Tibet, and in a climate where the strongest often succumb, had her existence further imperilled by the treachery and cruelty of her Chinese servant, and was only saved on more than one occasion from being murdered by the interposition of the more chivalrous Tibetans ; even then, nothing but the most undaunted resolution, coupled with remarkable coolness and nerve, saved her from perishing a victim to such cold and hunger as it seemed incredible a woman should have survived.

Miss Taylor was then a medium-sized woman of Saxon build, with brilliant brown eyes, the complexion of a traveller, and the air of one who had suffered much. Her bearing, her bright eyes and animated expression showed her to be a woman of resource and imagination, and in seeing her lively manner, notwithstanding her then weak state of health, one began to understand the influence she had been able to exercise over the savage people, amongst whom she had been travelling alone with her life in her hand. She was still full of enthusiasm for the civilisation and conversion of the Tibetans, which she hoped to communicate to the people of England.

Alone, with the help of one Christian Tibetan, whom she brought with her from Darjeeling, she had penetrated to within three days of Lhassa, and returned alive to tell the tale. But for the abominable treachery of a Mohammedan Chinese, whom she engaged in Kansuh, there seems little doubt but that she would have arrived in Lhassa itself. Miss Taylor first attempted to enter Tibet from the Indian side in 1887. Sikkim was not English then, and orders were g^iven that no one should serve her. So though she had plenty of money she could buy nothing, and was often very hungry. Then she got fever, and had no appetite. But after quinine her appetite returned, till she did not know which was worse, fever or hunger. Sometimes for days together she had nothing to eat but grains dropped, it would seem out of kindness, by some man walking along the road eating. For all were ordered not to sell to her or in any way supply her with food. Twice attempts were made to poison her, and for ten months she never saw another European.

泰勒小姐（Miss Taylor）在西藏旅行期間，除了那個缺乏食物和住所的荒涼國度中必然要面對的苦難，還要在氣候惡劣的環境下生存，甚至連體魄最強健的人往往也難以承受。此外，她的生存還受到中國僕人的背叛和殘忍行為的威脅，多次在藏族人的騎士風範下才得以幸免於難，否則她早已被殺害。在面對極端寒冷和饑餓的情況下，只有她那堅定不移的決心、非凡的冷靜和神經緊繃，才使她避免成為這些條件下的犧牲品，實在令人難以置信她竟能在如此艱難的條件下倖存下來。

當時的泰勒小姐是一位中等身材的女子，具有撒克遜人的體格，炯炯有神的棕色眼睛，因長期旅行而曬黑的膚色，以及一副經歷過許多苦難的樣子。她的舉止、明亮的雙眼以及充滿活力的表情表現出她是一位足智多謀且富有想像力的女性。即使當時她的健康狀況較差，但她那生動的舉止，讓人逐漸理解到她在那些蠻荒地區單獨旅行時，如何能夠以性命相搏，並在當地野蠻的環境中對人產生深遠的影響。即便如此，她仍充滿熱情，願將她對西藏人文明化和皈依基督教的熱忱傳遞給英國人民。

泰勒小姐僅帶著一位從大吉嶺（Darjeeling）帶來的基督徒藏人，孤身一人深入到距離拉薩僅三天路程的地方，並活著回來講述這一經歷。如果不是她在甘肅僱傭的一名中國穆斯林的卑鄙背叛，幾乎毫無疑問她本可抵達拉薩。泰勒小姐第一次嘗試從印度一側進入西藏是在1887年。當時錫金尚未成為英國領土，政府下令禁止任何人為她服務。因此，儘管她擁有足夠的錢，但卻無法購買任何物品，經常處於飢餓之中。後來，她患上了瘧疾，完全喪失了食慾，但在服用了奎寧後，食慾恢復，結果她不知道是瘧疾還是飢餓更糟糕。有時，她連續幾天的唯一食物只是路人邊走邊吃時無意中掉落的一些穀粒，這似乎是某人出於善意才會做的，因為當局下令不許任何人賣東西給她或向她提供食物。她曾兩次遭遇投毒企圖，並在十個月的時間裡未曾見過另一個歐洲人。

233 IN THE LAND OF THE BLUE GOWN

Then she decided to try to get in from China, came round by sea and up the Yangtze, then overland to Sungpan on the Tibetan border. After spending about a year on the frontier, living very quietly, not going out, but constantly entertaining Tibetans in her house, she received various offers of convoys to Lhassa. Before crossing the frontier, about which she had no trouble, she, however, engaged a Mohammedan Chinaman, whose Tibetan name was Noga. She had two tents, four servants, and tried to get ten really good horses by promising to give them at the journey's end to Noga. But all through her difficulties about horses seem to have been endless. One of her first serious adventures was being attacked by a band of brigands with white fur coats, leading each a spare horse. Two men were killed, eight wounded, and five out of her horses killed, besides much property lost. Things would have been much worse with her, and possibly her whole band would have been killed, but that a Lama called out to the robbers, " They are women! All women!" so she was not pursued. Amongst Mongols and Tibetans it is est^med a dreadful thing to strike a woman, so that all women go about unarmed, although every man carries weapons. Miss Taylor says, by the Tibetan religion it is forbidden to take life, whether a flea's, a sheep's, or a man's. The consequence of which seems to be not that human life is respected but that all life is alike lightly esteemed.

隨後，泰勒小姐決定從中國嘗試進入西藏。她先乘船繞道而行，沿著長江而上，再經陸路前往位於西藏邊界的松潘。在邊境附近生活了一年左右，過著十分低調的生活，很少外出，但經常在家中接待藏族人。之後，她接到了幾個護送她前往拉薩的提議。在她越過邊界前，聘請了一位穆斯林中國人，他的藏文名字叫做諾加（Noga）。泰勒小姐隨行帶有兩頂帳篷、四名僕人，並試圖通過承諾在旅程結束時將十匹好馬送給諾加來獲得十匹優質馬匹。然而，整個旅程中，馬匹的問題似乎接連不斷。

她的第一個嚴重冒險之一是遭到一群穿著白毛皮大衣的強盜襲擊，這些強盜每人牽著一匹備用馬。兩名男子被殺，八人受傷，泰勒小姐的五匹馬也被殺，此外還損失了大量財物。若不是一位喇嘛向強盜們喊道「她們是女人！全都是女人！」，情況可能會更糟，她和她的隨從也許會全數被殺。蒙古人和藏族人之間認為打女人是一件可怕的事情，所以所有的女性都不攜帶武器，儘管每個男人都帶有武器。泰勒小姐提到，根據藏傳佛教的教義，無論是跳蚤、綿羊還是人，都不得殺生。然而，這種禁令的結果並不是尊重生命，而是所有的生命都被同樣輕視。

On the 28th of September the party crossed the Yellow River, there very narrow and dangerous, on yak skins blown out, with hurdles laid upon them, and drawn by horses. These rafts are awash all the time, and the water was icecold. They then found themselves in the very large Golok district, peopled entirely by robbers. Apparently a charming country to travel in, for Goloks never rob within their own territory. But it is not so pleasant to get in or out of. Travellers in making contracts in Tibet always have to agree to pay for a yak, or horse, if it die, or gets stolen on a journey, but not if it be stolen by the Goloks. The Goloks' chieftain is a woman, and laws are stricdy observed in her domains, and no bribes taken. This is a fact of which the supporters of woman's suffrage might well make note. But it is to be feared that as women become more civilised they also grow more mercenary. At that time the Goloks related how five Russians came to travel through the country, and they themselves went out to attack them five hundred strong, but could kill none, though twelve of themselves were killed. Then after that came one traveller alone with a tin box. They all wanted that tin box, and still continued to reproach one another that they did not take it, but their belief was that on opening it an army of soldiers would come out. and they thought the same with regard to Miss Taylor's two cases of chests of i drawers, besides having many other fabulous tales about her, which all probably stood her in good stead.

At one time it was so cold that touching a knife made the skin come off, and one of her servants lay dying, and as he was a Mohammedan he had to be washed before he died, although this was nearly an impossibility. It was managed somehow, naturally hastening the man's end, and then after that the difficulty was how to bury him. They found at last a piece of swampy ground, and as it was still early in the winter it was possible to move a few sods. So they covered him up, but not before the wolves were all howling round. She then went on to Sagiaka, and saw five hundred of the men there start out on a freebooting excursion. They think this quite a right thing to do, although, small thefts are severely punished among them. She then crossed the Drichu, which she thought was possibly the head waters of the Yangtze, passed Gala with its houses all set against the hill, the roof of one house serving as the terrace of the one behind, and described how the people there used nothing to enrich the ground, nor even removed the stones, but just planted barley every other year, leaving the ground to be refreshed by the sun between whiles. By far the larger number of Tibetans, however, live in tents even in that climate, so unsuited as one would think. In every way the people sought to prevent her from entering the Lhassa district by telling her of fighting going on there, but she learnt that an arrangement had been come to that travellers should not be interfered with. It was there, however, Noga, after repeated acts of insubordination, began to use violence to her, and at last tried to draw his sword. It was the Tibetans who saved her from her own Chinese servant, and saying there was no chief there able to protect her, sent her on under an escort. " Whether a foreigner or not, you are a woman," said the Tibetans.

在9月28日，泰勒小姐一行穿越了黃河，那裡的河道非常狹窄且危險，他們乘坐由充氣的牦牛皮製成的皮筏，並在其上鋪設木板，由馬匹拉動，這些皮筏時常浸泡在水中，而河水冰冷刺骨。隨後他們進入了戈洛克地區，該地區完全由強盜部落統治。戈洛克內部禁止搶劫，使得區內旅行相對安全，但進出該地卻極具危險性。遊客在西藏簽訂旅行合約時，通常需要同意在旅程中，如果牦牛或馬匹因疾病或盜竊死亡，則需支付賠償，但如果是被戈洛克人偷走的則無需賠償。