Table Of ContentIn December 1903 a British army marched
over the Himalayas to counter a non-existent
Russian threat and was confronted by a
medieval Tibetan army ordered to stop it by
non-violent means. It was a clash between the
mightiest political power in the world armed
with Maxim guns and Lee-Enfields, and the
weakest: a land of mystery locked behind the
most formidable natural barriers on earth and
governed by a reincarnate lama.
Leading what was supposed to be a peaceful
political mission was the charismatic Francis
Younghusband. At his side, a group of young
officers who hero-worshipped him and were as
eager as he to he the first Europeans in almost
a century to reach Lhasa: to gaze, as one of
their number put it, 'with awe upon the
temples and palaces of the long-sealed
Forbidden City, the shrines of the mystery
which had so long haunted our dreams'. But
commanding the army escorting
Younghush ami's mission was an officer
determined to do things by the book. General
James MacdonakI, known to his troops as
'Retiring Mac'. The result was conflict at
every' level, with a tragic outcome that both
enthralled and shocked the outside world.
Younghusband returned home to a hero's
welcome, and the image of a strong, silent man
of action with a streak of mysticism,
shamefully treated by his government, persists
to this day. By contrast, if Macdonald is
remembered at all it is because his cowardly-
behaviour frustrated Younghusband's best
efforts at every turn. Drawing on diaries,
letters and hitherto unpublished first-hand
accounts, Charles Allen overturns this
accepted view, presenting the real story of the
Younghusband Mission. In doing so, he
reveals not only the true character of one of
Britain's great imperial heroes but also the
calamitous outcome for the Tibetan people of
Britain's last attempt at empire-building.
£20
CHARLES ALLEN is best known as a
historian of British India and for such books
as Plain Tales from the Raj and Soldier Sahibs:
The Men Who Made the .\orth-West Frontier.
I lowever, he has also travelled extensive^ in
Tibet and the Himalayas and has written a
number of books on the region, including A
Mountain in Tibet, The Search for Shangri La
and, most recently, The Buddha and the Sahibs:
The Men Who Discovered India's fj>st Religion
('a marvellous book . . . colourful, informative
and splendidly readable', Saul David). In
researching Duel in the Snotvs he covered as
much of the invading army's route to Lhasa as
political constraints set by die government of
the Tibet Autonomous Region allowed.
Jacket photographs: (front) A deputation of
monks from Drepung monastery confer with
General Macdonaid (centre) under a flag of
truce, 8 August 1904 (reproduced courtesy of
the Director of the National Army Museum,
London): (back) Crossing the Jelep La into
Tibet. Taken on 3 June 1904, the photograph
shows the 3rd Company of the Bengal Sappers
and Miners, part of the reinforcements sent to
bolster General Macdonald's army after the
attack on the Mission at Changlo Manor
(Royal Engineers Library).
DUEL IN THE SNOWS
^ s •:.•••''. •.
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By the same author
* Plain Tales from the Raj
* Tales from the Dark Continent
Tales from the South China Seas
A Mountain in Tibet
Lives of the Indian Princes
Kipling's Kingdom
A Glimpse of the Burning Plain
The Savage Wars of Peace
Thunder and Lightning
The Search for Shangri-La
Soldier Sahibs
The Buddha and the Sahibs
DUEL IN
THE
SNOWS
The True Story of the Younghusband
Mission to Lhasa
Charles Allen
JOHN MURRAY
© Cliarles Allen 2004
First published in 2004 by John Murray (Publishers)
A division of Hodder Headline
3 ; 79 10 864
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any torni or by any
means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be
otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that
in which it is published and without a similar condition being
imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A GIF catalogue record for this title is available from the Rrttish Library
ISBN o-7T<J5-542? <5
Typeset in Monotype Beulbo 12/13.5
by Servis Filmsetring Ltd, Manchester
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives pic
John Murray (Publishers)
3 j!S Eii5tonK.oad
London
NWi 3BII
In the Year of the Wood-Dragon the first part of the year protects
the young king. Then there is a great coming forward of robbers,
quarrelling and fighting, full of many enemies. Troublous grief by
weapons and such-like will arise. The king, father and son, will be
fighting. At the end of the year a conciliating speaker will vanquish
the war.
Prophecy from the Tibetan Almanac for
the Year of the Wood-Dragon,
beginning mid February 1904
- • •>'
-
Contents
Illustrations ix
Map xii
Foreword: The Younghusband Mission I
i. The Morning of 12 December 1903 9
2. The View from thejelep La 34
3. The View from the Potala 50
4. The Advance on Tuna 62
5. The Advance on Guru 91
6. The Massacre at Chumik Shenko in
7. On to Gyantse 129
8. Alarms and Excursions 157
9. The Entry of the Fusiliers 179
10. The Storming of Gyantse Jong 205
11. The March on Lhasa 230
12. Lhasa at Last 258
13. Picking up the Pieces 286
The Players 316
Acknowledgements 322
Glossary 324
Bibliography 327
Index 333
vii
