A CHORAL CURSE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 292, 19 January 1910, Page 5

A CHORAL CURSE.

DISCOVERIES IN UNKNOWN ASIA. .Mr. C. H. Mears has given to Reuter'd Agency some details of the remarkable journey undertaken in tn e unknown borderland between Cnina anil 'iibet, which ended so disastrously in the murder by a savage tribe of Mr. J. A. Brooke, whose death was reported in the summer. '"Starting from Hankau, Mr. Brooke and I," iaid Mr. Mear, "with three servants, travelled up the Yangtse to Ching King, and thence overland to Chen-tu. Afterwards we proceeded westward from Wen Oman, in the country of the aboriginal Chang Min. There we encountered the notorious Black River robbers who terrorise that part of the country. Probably owing to tiie fact that they had hearcl we were good shots they proved quite friendly. Every day now we found the people becoming more Tibetan in character and intensely suspicious.' WOMAN RULER.

"Our next objective was the capital of the Runga tribe, where we found a huge castle perched on an almost inaccessible crag, governed by a woman chief. The lady refused to s'ee us or to let us in, but we were .provided with a louse outside and remained for some ! time giving medical aid to the people. "While here we paid to visit to a great monastery and distributed a number of mirrdrs to the children. This had the reverse of the desired effect, for the people declared we were trying to blind theiu, and they became dis ttinctly nasty. They urged us to leave, but as we declined they held a great ceremony, the object of which was solemnly to curse us'. "This was an impressive function, at. which many musicians were present, and was largely choral. Of the exact nature of the curse we were ignorant, but that I nothing happened to us at the conclui sion seemed to occasion our friends much surprise. "We next made our way soutli-wes't over a very high pass, where our people were all down with mountain sickness, and where we discovered some wonderful poppies with flowers eight inches in diameter, which we sent home to Kcw. "The valley of the Ivermer was followed through a country of surpassing loveliness, abounding in parrots and butterflies' of every color. At Yuko Mr. W. M. Fergussoi), who was with Mr. Brooke, spent three days in massaging the chief, and the latter was so pleased that he gave the travellers passports through his country. COLOSSAL ELEPHANT. "We visited the sacred mountain of Omei Shan, a celebrated pilgrimage place for all Buddhists from all parts of China and Tibet. Halfway up we saw a colossal bronze elephant, which was supposed to have been brought all the way from India. Near here we thoroughly examined a number of remarkable cave dwellings, and found many j interesting objects, including figures of men and animals. The jjlaces had probably not been inhabited for a thousand years. "We next made for the Lolo frontier. On reaching Ning Yan Fu, the chief town, Brooke and I separated, the former going off on a short side trip to s'ecure some Lolo photographs. As he did not come back, I became anxious. After long enquiries T ascertained the details of how he had been murdered by the Lolos."