In His Excellency Bheem Shamsher I found a perfect gentleman, easy of approach, but nevertheless of commanding presence.

“How are you impressed with our country?” said he.

“I am filled with a feeling of extreme pleasure,” I replied.

“How can that be?”

“Because not only your natural scenery, trees and plants, but even your people look very much like those of my own country, and I cannot help feeling quite at home here—a feeling which makes me forget the difficulties of travel I have come through.”

His Excellency smiled a little. “That may be, because we belong to the same race; but are you quite sure about our flora?”

“Why, yes, Your Excellency, not only your mountains and waters look like ours, but you have pines, cedars, oaks, willows, keyaki (Planeta japonica), cherries, peaches, pears, oranges, azaleas, elms, among trees, and field products, such as rice, wheat, beans, millet, buck-wheat and corn are as common with you as they are in Japan. I also notice an equal similarity between the flowers and birds of the countries. Above all I am profoundly impressed by the bravery of your people and their kindness toward strangers.”

Quite pleased at what I said, His Excellency now changed the course of conversation:

“I have been told that Tibet has concluded a treaty with Russia: do you know of any evidence to prove this?”

“I have not come across any definite proof,” I replied; “but judging from what Tsan-ni Kenbo has done and the fact that the Dalai Lama has accepted a present of a Bishop’s robes from the Russian Government, one may think that there must be some foundation for the rumor. Furthermore, since the return of a Tibetan envoy from his mission to the court of S. Petersburg, the Tibetan Government has, it is said, come to show great firmness, even to the extent of expressing its determination to engage in war, if need be, with any other country, and this fact may point to the existence of a secret Russo-Tibetan treaty.”

“I have no doubt of its existence,” said my interlocutor; “but what do you think has induced Tibet to conclude it?”

“As a mere priest, I know nothing about politics and diplomacy, but I may venture to presume that it all came from the unreliability of China, and the skilful manoeuvres of Tsan-ni Kenbo, who worked on Tibetan sensitiveness as regards its relationship with the Indo-British Government.”

“Why is the Tibetan Government hostilely disposed toward England?” asked the Commander-in-Chief.

The other questions which he put to me may be gathered from the answers I gave, which were to the effect, that Tibet believed that its intercourse with Christian England would end in the destruction of its Bu??hism and nationality, while it rejoiced in the delusion that Russia was a Bu??hist Power, and that the reason why it did not befriend Japan was because it knew practically nothing about the existence of such a country.

I next took my turn in leading the conversation, and as a beginning I gave in detail the story of the causes which had led to the incarceration and torture of my friends and benefactors in Tibet, and appealed to His Excellency’s generosity to take the trouble of forwarding my petition to the Dalai Lama. In the second place I referred to the Samsk?? edition of the Bu??hist Scriptures, promised me by the Prime-Minister-King. Thereupon the Commander-in-Chief cheerfully gave consent to both my requests. He greatly pitied the ignorance of the Tibetan authorities, and keenly sympathised with my position. He promised me to do all in his power to have the petition forwarded, but as the matter rested solely with the King de facto, he advised me to wait for the latter’s return, when he would put in a good word for me. As for the Scriptures, he saw no way of procuring for me the entire collection within the period of time I intended to spend in Nepal. I then informed him of my determination to revisit Nepal in two years’ time, and that I should be most pleased to receive the remainder of the Scriptures on the occasion of that second visit, I taking home for the time being such portions of them as could be collected during my stay. All this was agreeable to His Excellency, and before I took leave of him he shook me warmly by the hand and flattered me by saying that he was very glad to have met such an honored Japanese.