Arnold Henry Savage Landor

“ I am by
caste Thatola; thirty-two years of age; by occupation kheti; my
home is at That, police station Bisot, district Almora.
I took service as a bearer with Mr. Landor at Almora on the 27th
or 28th April last. I accompanied him on his trip to Tibet. We
went along through the wilds, encountering many hardships and
reached Toxem. There I insisted on my master buying ponies to
take us to Darjeeling. This resulted in our capture, for up to
then we had vigilantly kept away from the people. The people who
brought us ponies to buy played us false. ”

“ Henry Savage Landor's servant who accompanied him to Tibet, where
they were arrested and tortured. Chanden Sing has visible to this
day on both his legs, and twenty-one days after they were
inflicted, innumerable black marks produced by flogging. So
severely appears the punishment to have been administered, that
large patches of skin and flesh have been torn off by the
lashing. Chanden Sing is now in very poor health, and it is
evident by his appearance that he suffers greatly from the
tortures and ill-treatment received at the hands of the Tibetans. ”

“ After some moments I opened my eyes and beheld the
hot iron on the ground. I saw him take a musket from the hands of
one of the soldiers standing by. He placed this against my
forehead and discharged it upwards, giving me a severe shock,
though nothing worse. Handing back the discharged weapon to the
soldier, the Pombo seized a long two-handed sword and came at
me. He swung it from side to side, all the time foaming from his
mouth. This foaming, I believe, was produced artificially. He
then motioned to the man who all this time held me by the hair of
my head to bend my neck. ”

“ Mr. Landor and Mansing were taken
to Galshio three days later. Ponies were provided for them,
Mansing riding bare-back, while the wooden frame of a saddle was
provided for Mr. Landor, the frame having several iron spikes
sticking out of it in the back part of it. During the long ride
to Galshio these nails produced several wounds on Mr. Landor's
spine and back. Efforts were made, by means of a rope attached to
his handcuffs, to pull him off the saddle and have him trodden to
death by the hundreds of ponies of the Lamas, soldiers and
officers that came full gallop behind. ”

“ The following day Man Sing and
I were led back on foot to Toxem, our jailers riding on horses.
We had to go at a great speed despite our severely lacerated
feet. We crossed several cold streams, sinking in mud and water
to the waist. At Toxem, to my great delight, I beheld Chanden
Sing still alive. We were detained there for that night. On the
following day we were placed on yaks' backs and hurried off
towards Taklakot. Thus we journeyed at an unpleasantly fast pace
for fifteen days, from before daybreak to nightfall. Our guards
were bent on taking us viâ the Lumpiya Pass ”

“ This
terminated the sword exercise, much to the disgust of the Lamas,
who still continued to urge the swordsman on. Then they held an
excited consultation. About this time my coolie, Man Sing, who
had frequently fallen off his bare-backed pony, arrived. The
person who held my hair then relinquished his hold, and another
person came up and gave me a forcible push, which gave me a nasty
fall on my back, straining all the tendons of my legs. Then my
servant Man Sing was brought forward and tied by his legs to the
same log of wood to which I was fastened. ”

“ Moreover, two shots were
fired at Mr. Landor. Mansing, unable to use his hands that were
bound, fell many times off his steed and remained some two miles
behind. When Galshio was reached Mr. Landor was pulled off his
saddle, and they told him that his head would be cut off
immediately. Dragged mercilessly by soldiers, he was taken to a
wooden log. Here they stretched his legs wide apart, and his feet
were made fast on the cutting edge of the log by means of tightly
bound ropes that cut into his flesh. ”

“ He then, on the 27th May, arrived in Garbyang in
Byans patti. It appears to have been his intention to have
entered Tibet by the Lippu Lek Pass. This is the easiest, being
about 16,780 feet above sea level. It is the most frequented
route taken by the traders of Byans and Chaudans, and is adjacent
to Taklakot, a mart for wool, salt, borax, grain, &c. He was,
however, frustrated in this, inasmuch as the Jong Pen of Taklakot
came to know of Mr. Landor's intention and took steps to prevent
it. He caused bridges to be destroyed and stationed guards along
the route. ”

“ Landor intense pain. His health and strong constitution seem
altogether shattered by the sufferings he has undergone.
His face, hands and feet are very swollen, and he appears
extremely weak; he himself attributed his great exhaustion to
having been unable to sleep for nineteen consecutive nights on
account of the bad sores on the spine and legs and because of the
heavy iron chains with which he was laden.
H. WILSON,
Hospital Assistant, Methodist Episcopal Mission.
GUNGI BYAS BHOT, DARMA.
N.B.—The numerous smaller wounds, burns, &c., on the face and
body are not taken into account. ”

“ I have already said my
hands were manacled from the back; so also were Man Sing's. But
at nightfall our captors increased our tortures by straining our
manacled arms upwards as high as they could be forced, and then
secured them to an upright pole at the back. This caused very
severe pain, straining the spine in an incredible way. Then they
tied a cord from Man Sing's neck to mine, the effect of which was
to make us maintain a most painful position. ”

“ Then with shouts and hisses
they led us prisoners to Toxem. There we were separated, being
placed in separate tents. Guards of many armed soldiers were
placed to watch us. In the afternoon of the same day a Pombo (a
man in authority) , with several high Lamas and military officers,
held a Court under a gaudy tent. ”

“ Doubtless it will afford you some pleasure to learn that you have
earned quite a reputation among the natives, both Tibetan and
Bhotias (Shokas) , on account of your universal cordiality,
generosity and pluck. They are constantly inquiring about you,
and relating your many good traits. ”

“ TAKLAKOT, TIBET, Sept. 8, 1897.
I herewith certify that I have examined the wounds that Mr. A.
Henry Savage Landor received during his imprisonment at Galshio
in Tibet.
There are five large sores along the spinal column and the
spine itself has sustained severe injuries. At the time they were
inflicted these wounds must have caused profuse bleeding.
The feet bear the marks of cruel treatment. On the right foot are
still well visible to-day (nineteen days after wounds were
inflicted) six wounds, viz.—
On the heel one wound one inch long ”

“ MY DEAR LANDOR,
Karak Sing reports that 2 guns (1 damaged) , 1 revolver, 1
signet-ring, cash 68/12/-, cartridges (gun) 110, ditto revolver
37, cleaning-rods 2, gun-case 1, leather straps, 1
butterfly-catcher, &c., have been handed to him by the Jong Pen
of Taklakot, and he has requested Deputy Commissioner's orders.
I am glad to hear your things are coming on. I hope you are
getting stronger.
With our kindest regards,
Yours very sincerely,
E.E. GRIGG.
[NOTE BY THE AUTHOR.—This letter, as will be seen from the date, reached me after the bulk of the book had gone to press.] ”

“ Landor and the two men looked very ill and
suffering, Mr. Landor's face being hardly recognisable. He and
his bearer Chanden Sing gave us an account of the tortures that
had been inflicted upon them at Toxem and Galshio, and Mr. Landor
showed the Peshkar Kharak Singh, Pundit Gobaria, myself and many
Bhotiyas (Shokas) twenty-two wounds on his spine, feet and hands
received from the Tibetans. Chanden Sing, who had been
administered two hundred lashes, showed numerous black marks and
open sores where the skin had been torn on both legs. From Lamas
and soldiers who had been present at Mr. ”

“ Mr. Landor was kept chained to the log
for twenty-four hours, Mansing twelve hours. When they were
brought back to Toxem they found that Chanden Sing had been kept
four days tied hands and feet to an upright post, and he had been
given no food.
At Taklakot, an officer (called Nerba) confessed in my own tent,
and before Pundit Gobaria and the Political Peshkar Kharak Sing,
that he himself had held Mr. Landor by the hair when he was
about to be beheaded. He had also fired a shot at Mr. Landor,
and had moreover been ordered by the Lamas to cut off Mr. ”

“ Larkin's "Inquiry and report"
into your treatment by the Tibetans.
Yours faithfully,
(Signed) W. LEE WARNER.
A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR, Esq.
*⁠*⁠*
GOVERNMENT REPORT BY J. LARKIN, ESQ., MAGISTRATE OF THE FIRST CLASS.
Mr. ”