Besides ourselves there was also another group of guests in the holy place.

These were Tibetans.
Their behavior was very impertinent and they refused to speak with us.
They were all armed, chiefly with the Russian military rifles and were draped with crossed bandoliers of cartridges with two or three pistols stowed beneath belts with more cartridges sticking out.

They examined us very sharply and we readily realized that they were estimating our martial strength.

After they had left on that same day I ordered our Kalmuck to inquire from the High Priest of the temple exactly who they were.

For a long time the monk gave evasive answers but when I showed him the ring of Hutuktu Narabanchi and presented him with a large yellow hatyk, he became more communicative.
"Those are bad people," he explained.