Lhasa and Its Mysteries; A Record of the Expedition of 1903-1904

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...British Mountain Battery. I Section 7-pounders. I Company Mounted Infantry. X o I i X ill thi vil th' 00 T Sf d.: th Ik rt hi d i1 xiv. STORMING OF TSECHEN MONASTERY 267 welcome visit to our post along the sunken way, and made a minute inspection, through the telescope, of the new fortifications of the jong, from the breastworks of our roof, in order to complete his plans of assault. After one day's much-needed rest for the troops, on the morning of the 28th June the General began to prepare the way for the capture of the jong by a wide movement down the valley, clearing out the twelve villages, including the carpet factory at Gobshi held by the enemy on the plain to the left of the river, to the north and west of the jong, and the large monastery of Tsechen beyond them on the end of a strongly fortified spur running out into the middle of the valley, 5 miles down the Shigatse road, which it commanded. Although the operations were impeded by heavy rain which flooded the marshy fields and their network of irrigation channels, rendering them a morass intersected by deep streams very difficult to traverse, the villages were cleared without much opposition; but the monastery, in a position of great natural strength, was held by 1200 armed men, who offered a desperate resistance by a furious fusilade and hurling down heavy volleys of stones and rocks. After a fight lasting the whole day the Tibetans were dislodged, and eventually driven headlong from their positions, by the gallant assault of the Pathans below; by Goorkhas scaling the sharp crest along the sky-line, and by the other movements, as shown in the accompanying sketch. The enemy, who included several armed Lamas, suffered heavy loss. We had one officer killed (Captain Craster) and two...