Francis Worcester Doughty

“ What is this earthly body? I speak of my astral body, which envelopes the soul, my real self. I am no more bound to this body than you are to the black gown you wear at the present moment, which, by the way, becomes you immensely. ”

“ Men stared, women and children crowded to the doors of the low, smoke begrimed houses; not a few beseeched our prayers as we passed, for Ah Schow, the rascal, had given it out that we were lamas whose prayers were most powerful, especially in healing the sick. ”

“ Mirrikh?”
“Do the best we can. There is a guard house at the summit of the pass—we can spend the night there.”
“Yes, and be most deucedly uncomfortable till morning. You say there is no town between this and your lamasery?”
“None.”
“Of course you know?”
“I should know. I have passed this way before.”
“Seems to me,” said the Doctor, in his most sarcastic manner, “that when I get ready to drop down on Jupiter, I’ll take devilish good care to select a better place to fall in than Thibet.”
“You will find no such place on the planet Jupiter as Thibet;” replied the adept, calmly. ”

“ Mirrikh joined in the argument. He said nothing, but walked out into the open as soon as I began it, remaining there until it was over.
The discussion was between Maurice, the Doctor and myself.
“It is no use, George; let that man be what he may, I shall go on,” Maurice had said. “He has made certain promises to me, set up certain claims. So far he has kept his promises and established his claims, and I propose to stick to him. You, if you like, can return to India. Please yourself.” ”

“ There is but one God, our Father Eternal in the heavens, and did you but acknowledge Him, you would be a happier man. Neither I nor any of His creatures can transcend the laws which He has ordained from the beginning ”

“ I replied. “The future has nothing in store for me. Where you go, I go. At least I shall have the satisfaction of being at your side when the day of disaster comes, as come it surely will.”
He pressed my hand with unusual warmth, and that was the last of our discussion.
Soon Ah Schow brought the mules around to the door and we started down the mountain.
As there were only three mules, Mr. Mirrikh rode double with Maurice as far as the town of Zhad-uan, where a fourth was purchased, after which it was easier travelling, though it was all hard enough. ”

“ I mean that on a ledge a little off the road on the other slope of this ridge there is at this very moment a woman—she is freezing rapidly—she sits beside a man—I think the man is already dead, or at least dying—he is an old man—I can see his grey hair—he—ah! ”

“ Although actually a Chinese institution, and supposed to be kept in repair by the government—they are intended to be on all the great roads at a distance of two miles apart—it is only once in awhile you meet one in shape to afford even shelter from a shower, and that is why the Thibetans, who know by sad experience what it is to depend upon the Chinese government for anything, have established the inns and try to make them what the guard houses should be but are not. ”