Neither Of Them, However, Seemed To Pay The Slightest Attention To My
Wants, And Savage With Thirst, I Charged The Whole Trio, Saluting The
Gentleman At The Same Time With An Application Of My Stick.
Instead of
his jumping up, however, as I expected, I found that the unfortunate
man was kept in his
Recumbent position by rheumatism, or some such
ailment, and that, in my ignorance of Thibetian, and want of milk
and patience combined, I had committed an atrocious and unwarrantable
assault upon an invalid. Meantime, however, the lady was off like a
shot, and soon returned from the dairy bearing both milk and flour,
wherewith to appease the ferocity of her visitor. Having nearly
choked myself with the meal and brought myself round again with the
milk, I gave the invalid full compensation and satisfaction as far
as I was able, for my attack, and again took to the road in search
of the bridge which was to re-unite us with our baggage and our
breakfast. Before reaching it, however, I was the unfortunate cause
of the entire abandonment of some half-dozen houses, by merely halting
to sit down for a few minutes under a tree in their vicinity. Whether
the inhabitants - who appeared to be all women - thought that I
was going to open trenches and beleaguer them or not I don't know,
but, after a few minutes, I used to see one of them dart out from
behind a mud wall and scuttle away like a rabbit; then another
lady would steal out, carefully lock the door, and with a child
on her back and a couple of olive branches in rear, crawl over the
housetop and out at the back garden, there taking to her heels, and
vanishing with her convoy suddenly from sight.
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