ATTACKED BY TIBETAN DOGS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 474, 15 June 1912, Page 7

ATTACKED BY TIBETAN DOGS.

; Sergeant F. C. Lake, Norfolk Regiment, Ist Brigade, Aldersbor.. writes in "Tit-Bits" : I was sergeant of the Maxim ('inn Section, which formed part of the escort to the British Mission tc Lhasa in 1904.

We left Siliguri on the 27th Nov. 1903, for the Chumbi Valley, where we spent our Christmas. Early in January, 1904, we advanced to Tuna, a small village on a. wide, leva plateau 15,000 ft. above sea-level. Here the mission established its head-quarters, our Maxim Gun Section, one seven-pounder gun, "Bth Gurkha Rifles, and four companies 23rd Sikh Pioneers remaining with the mission while the main force retired to the Chumbi Valley. The cold was awful, the temperature at night falling to 20 deg. below zero,, and the only fuel available - was dried yaks' dung, and that only in very limited quantities. At the end of March a further advance was made, our objective being Gyantse, one of the chief trading towns of Tibet. I took patt in the fighting at Guru and Red Idol Gorge, arriving at Gyantse on the 11th of April, 1904.

" Owing to the difficulty of bringing up supplies it was again decided to retire the main force to Chumbi, the British Commissioner, Colonel Younghusband, remaining at Gyantse. My section were the only white troops left at Gyantse, the remainder of the escort being four companies 32nd Sikh Pioneers, and one company Bth Gurfcha Rifles, with two seven-pounder • mountain guns. A supply depot was formed and we started collecting forage, etc., in readiness for the advance to Lhasa. At first the inhabitants were friendly and brought in large quantities of grain and bhoosa, for which they received payment.

Early in May, however, fighting again took place at the Karo. La and at Gyantse, and supplies no longer coming in it became necessary for us to forage for ourselves, and it was on one of these expeditions that I narrowly escaped a most awful death.

We had taken out all available mules to some scattered villages about four miles from our post, and reaching a small village found a sufficient quantity of bhoosa to load my mules twice. I was ordered to collect this, while the remaining mules went on to a larger village a mile and. a half further on. On approaching the village we found it necessary to drive off a couple of score half-starved dogs of all sizes and breeds. ran off some three or four hundred yards and sat on their haunches watching us with hungry eyes. I loaded my animals and sent them off, a corporal in charge, with orders to return, and, being of an inquisitive turn of mind, I started to explore the village. My first find was an underground chamber in which were hidden .two women, half-a-dozen children, and the oldestlooking human being I've ever seen. They fell on their faces and kissed by feet (I .felt thankful they didn't want to kiss my face), imploring me not to kill them.

The only way I could assure them I meant them no harm was to leave them. I crossed a courtyard and went 1 down a narrow passage with a door at the end. This I pushed open and stepped inside. I have read of the li,on's roar, but I am sure it can't be anything compared to the sound that greeted me. It was indescribable, and I could see a dark body rushing at me in the semi-darkness.

I had just time to step back into the passage and throw my rifle to the front, when I was attacked by an immense Tibetan mastiff. Luckily for me the passage was so narrow that my assailant could not get round me, and I succeeded in beating her off (I afterwards found a litter of pups in the corner), and, loading my rifle, tried to shoot her, but the encounter had so unnerved me that I only wounded her, and she came at me again more madly than before, and I had a terrible fight before I beat her off, and, firing again, shot her dead.

All this time she had been making a terrible noise, and on coming out of the passage I was horrified tc find the yard full of the dogs wc had driven off, snapping and snarling like a pack of wolves. Looking round for some means of escape, I saw a ladder leading on to the roof of one of the buildings ten oi twelve yards away, and, firing into the pack, I made a dash for it. 1 reached it safe and ran up it, but Dn reaching the top found two dogs in possession.

My sudden appearance startled them, I think, for they both sprang for the ladder, and it was only by hanging on to the top of the ladder that I saved myself from being down upon the yelling pack below.

I lost no time in pulling up the ladder, and then I'm afraid I nearly collapsed. On recovering a bit I :ommensed firing to attract attention, and a section of the Sikhs came to my assistance and drove ofl my besiegers. I afterwards accompanied the force to Lhasa, and had the honour of being present, in the throne room of the I'otola when the treaty was signed.