It was on the 9th of February that I had had such an unpleasant interview with the Nepalese Prime Minister, and was told to wait on him again two days after. On the way back to the Tower, deeply moved by what I had heard, I saw the grand appearance of Gaurishankara, the highest peak in the world, now mottled by clouds, and I gave vent to my feelings thus:

But again:

So on the 10th I spent much time in the company of my host, who tried to persuade me into acting conventionally. He himself believed, he said, that I was truly a Bu??hist priest and nothing more, but counselled that I might better serve my purpose by acting on the King’s suspicion than by adhering to the truth. Had I not already had occasion to have recourse to falsehood, when it suited me, as for instance, in passing myself off for a Chinese Lama? Was not the most important thing in view the rescuing of my Tibetan friends, and did I not consider that the prospect of enlisting the Nepalese King’s assistance in the matter was greater by passing myself for a Japanese official than by trying to be strictly truthful? That was all so, I replied; but I dwelt on the points of difference between Tibet and Nepal.

“Stratagems or temporary plans,” I said, “may be used in war, or in circumstances like war, or among rascals, in order to avoid difficulties for others as well as for ourselves. Now the Nepalese are not like the Tibetans, who do not allow a foreigner to enter into their country. The civilisation of Nepal permits the people to hear reason and truth. How could I insult the Governor with falsehood? If he will not believe me I shall be satisfied with my own truth, and I shall go to Peking and there do my best for these Tibetan friends of mine.”

My host finally acquiesced in the line of argument I pursued, but nevertheless seemed quite concerned about my future safety.

The 11th had come, and Bu??ha Vajra and I reported ourselves at the palace at the appointed hour. In the waiting-room I found a number of officers and officials as before. A secretary came to me and took down carefully in English what amounted to my curriculum vitÆ. Presently, and quite suddenly too, another high official who spoke English with great fluency wanted to know from me if I had not drawn maps of Tibet and Nepal, and if he could see them. I denied the charge. The official insisting, however, on the correctness of his suspicion, I told him that he was welcome to cherish his own suspicion, as I for my part could rest contented on the saying that detectives see thieves in most people. He was saying that his suspicion was not his alone but was shared by a large number of people, when we were summoned to the royal presence.

We were then shown into a fine room after going up four flights of stairs. I saw the throne occupied by one whom I had taken to be a junior member of the Cabinet at Beelganji. The King de facto sat by the King de jure. A few military officers and some Chamberlains remained standing outside the room. I was told to sit before the de facto King and I took my seat after Tibetan fashion, sitting cross-legged on the floor. The de facto King opened the conversation as follows:

“You are ready now to tell me your secret, I suppose; what is it you wish to tell me most?”

“I possess no secret, Your Highness,” I answered. “What I most earnestly solicit is that Your Highness will be kind enough to take the trouble of forwarding my petition to the Dalai Lama of Tibet and also procuring for me the Bu??hist Scriptures in Samsk??.”

The King appeared disappointed but not discomforted. He next wanted to know the gist of my petition. I replied that I pointed out in it that I was in truth a Bu??hist priest of Japan, that my Tibetan friends and acquaintances in trouble had associated with me without knowing my nationality; that I was the sole cause of all the trouble, and that those Tibetans had committed no crime; that I would come to Tibet in order to clear my friends and show their innocence, if the Dalai Lama so willed; that if my coming into Tibet was not permissible, it was incumbent on His Holiness to send to Japan a number of competent scholars to ascertain the truth about me before he punished his innocent subjects; that I was willing to find means to bear the cost of the proceeding; and so on.

After attentively listening to my recital, the King, who now seemed to have more or less banished his suspicion, said:

“I see; I shall then want two copies of your petition, one in Tibetan and the other in Nepalese; I will forward the one in Tibetan to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for you, and shall keep for myself the Nepalese copy.”

The order meant that I had not come to Nepal in vain, and in secret I wept with joy, and I thanked His Highness with all my heart. Being then asked if I had not really disclosed my identity to any one before leaving Tibet, I admitted that I had taken the ex-Minister of the Treasury alone into my confidence.

I was not yet safely through my ordeal; for the King was very curious to know next how I had occupied my time during the twenty days that had elapsed since my arrival in Katmandu. He accepted my reply, which was to the effect that I had spent my time chiefly in literary efforts to take home in verse and prose descriptions of the grandeur of the Himalayan scenery. I then submitted to His Highness a list of the Scriptures in Samsk?? that I wished to procure. The King took the list from my hand and gave instructions accordingly to one of his Chamberlains. He said that I should have all that could be collected in fifteen days.

On the way back to the Tower I again saw that highest peak, Gaurishankara, but its splendor was now far greater than it had been that other day. Moreover my desires had been fulfilled by the grace of our Lord Bu??ha, and I thanked Him with utas:

When I left Japan for Tibet, a friend of mine, Mr. S. Shimamura, had sent in farewell a prophetic uta which had been fulfilled, so I mention it here with my reply.

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