placed in a wheel chair in front of the main chanting hall, a lama carrying behind it a multicolored umbrella as a sign of rank. He was followed by a Living Buddha dressed in yellow, with yellow miter. After chanting liturgies for a short time, they wheeled the image outside the lamasery gate. There all the monks remained and chanted.

THE OLD DANCE IS ELABORATE

The sixth day of the sixth moon was a great day at our lamasery. The sun shone gloriously; no better day could have been selected for the performance of Chamngyon-wa, the Old Dance. In the forenoon I went down into the chanting hall and found the lamas dusting and laying out the masks and corresponding garments. The vestments, dating from the Manchu dynasty, when they were worn by officials, are richly embroidered. The masks, though made of papier-mâché, weigh about 10 pounds each and are remarkable works of art.

When the equipment was ready, the lamas put on the vestments over their red garments. Before putting on the masks they donned padded woolen caps which covered their foreheads, their necks, and the sides of their faces. The caps were secured by scarfs passed under the chin and tied on top of the head. Over these caps they adjusted the masks in such a way as to enable them to look through the mouth or nose. Fully clad for the dance, a lama was very heavily clothed for midsummer weather.

At noon the dance began. A crowd had gathered and surrounded the courtyard. The walls and roofs of the neighboring buildings were packed with people representing various Tibetan tribes, as well as some Kansu Chinese. In the gallery of the main temple seats had been prepared for the Choni Prince and his guests. A crowd of lamas lined the platform in front of the vestibule of the chanting hall, while boy lamas packed the gallery on the building opposite. Instead of going up into the gallery prepared for us, the Choni Prince and I selected a spot facing the main hall near the orchestra.

This orchestra was quaint. The principal instruments were large circular drums, held erect by staffs fastened to the rims. Sickle-shaped rods were used

as drumsticks.

Other instruments were 10- to 15-foot trumpets of bronze (see illustration, page 613), small trumpets made in the form of dolphins, brass cymbals, and flutes.

There was no stage; the courtyard served as a place for the pantomime. No words were spoken, except for occasional outcries or ejaculations.

With a flourish of trumpet, gong, cymbal, and drum, the large doors of the chanting hall opened and four boys, from seven to ten years of age, made their appearance in the square. Clad in striped silk shirts and red jackets, they represented demons called Tegong. The masks they wore resembled Hindu faces with prominent noses, and were surmounted by conical hats with red, fuzzy knobs on top. These boys demon-danced in pairs, each lifting one foot, jumping into the air, and turning with a sweeping gesture of the hand.

Following these dances came a hellish band of eight living skeletons, representing departed spirits (see Color Plates VII and VIII). They were dressed in tightfitting white garments on which were sewn strips of brilliant red cloth cut to resemble the bones of the skeleton. Skirts of imitation tiger skin, sleeves ending in gloves with fingers tipped with huge claws, and ivory-white skulls with red eye sockets completed the outfits. These dancers, being young men, were very agile. They cavorted furiously over the whole courtyard, keeping time with the beat of the orchestra.

The skeleton dancers were followed by two 8-year-old boys, similarly costumed. These represented inhabitants of Darjeeling, in India. Each carried a scepter, which he placed on the ground, then performed a few childish gyrations and retired.

THERE IS COMEDY EVEN IN RELIGIOUS

PLAYS

Next came the comedy of the program. the part to which the spectators looked forward with the greatest glee, no matter how often they had seen it. The first figures to appear were an old man and a toothless old woman, poorly dressed, each wielding a stick. They took up posts, one on each side of the courtyard, while from the vestibule appeared a comical stout