The Tibetans spoke little among themselves and Vivian realised that they were comparatively well-to-do.
Their harnesses were prettily ornamented and well studded with silver and precious stones and their clothes, whilst dirty and smelly, were nevertheless of good material and in excellent repair. The rifles slung round their shoulders were the most up to date she had seen.
The man behind whom she was riding carried his for some time in front of him and then he twisted it behind his shoulders so that it added much to her discomfort. As she then tried to move it into a less painful position, she saw a name engraved on the butt and after a moment of reading it she realised that the writing was not in Tibetan. With the jolting of the horse’s movements it took her a moment or two to decipher
