An Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet - Prajna Quest

iBO OTA N. 41tails of their Taiigun iiorses almost close to the rump^ whicli greatlydisfigured their appearance, and depreciated their value. When theEnglish established a fixed station at Rungpore (the mart of Bootan-icommerce), disgusted at this cruel treatment, they interested them-;selves with the dealers to obtain a discontinuance of the practice^ offeringbuckshisli, that is a liberal reward, if they would permit thepoor animals, to keep their tails. They listened with extreme unwil- ilingness to a proposal that militated against immemorial usage, forwhich, however, they had no better argument to advance, than thetruly Asiatic plea, against all sorts of innovation "; it was the dusloor,"or custom ; but the love of money being superior to the forceof prejudice, atthe ensuing season, some of the horses made their appearanceat the fair, unmutilated. These found so quick a sale, andgained so hlgli a price, that the same dealers were induced the followingyear, to repeat the experiment, and with similar success.Theywho w^ere anxious for a good market, soon found it their interestto follow the example ; and thus at length that cruel custom wastotally abolished, which deprived a noble animal of a member no lessuseful than ornamental ; and ever since that time Tangun horseshave been permitted to descend by this pass, without the loss oftheir tails. Hence it was stiled Buxa-dewar, the bounteous pass, andthe commandant of the post, Buxa Soobah; but otherwise, in theBootan language, it is named Passaka, and Passa Geatong. ThusItake my leave of etymologies.Our first care in the morning was to dispatch our camp equipageand palanquins to Rungpore, being obliged to become dependent