Salu, 3 days march from Gyantsee 17-04-1904

My dear Delia,

I wrote to you and Beatrice two days after the fight of Guru and yesterday I also wrote a long letter to Bertie to be forwarded to you. Directly I had written it and sent it off, I received a letter from him saying he was going to Kashmir on the 11th so I am afraid this will delay my letter reaching you.

We are now ten days march from Chumbi and three days from Gyantsee. Yesterday our Mounted Infantry went to reconnoitre a village - were fired upon but no casualties incurred. We returned the Tibetan fire killing four and wounding five so we heard this morning. We expected some fighting today but the Tibetans have fled at our approach and are now said to be waiting for us 15 miles away. So we may expect some resistance the day after tomorrow.

The marching is very trying. Rising in the chilly morning at 6 am - marching 12-16 miles with transport which requires continual urging on - and then after arrival in camp having to pitch tents and make oneself comfortable. Again food is somewhat scarce and the lack of wood for fire does add to ones discomfort. However we take it all as a matter of course. No one grumbles.

I hope we don't get much more fighting as the Tibetans have absolutely no chance against us and we - the doctors - have all the trouble of looking after their wounded. In Bertie's letter I told him how both my patients, the press correspondent whose hand I amputated - and Major Dunlop - were progressing exceedingly well. I am thinking of "billing" the Daily Mail for £50 for looking after their Correspondent.

The country is now quite level between the hills and it seems as if we were marching along a huge water bed some 3-4 miles broad. We march in four columns and though I don't know our exact numbers we look a tremendous imposing force due to the number of followers, some 9,000, and innumerable mules and yaks as transportation. Though of fighting men I don't think we number more than 1,000 at the greatest estimates.

I am so sorry your nice parcel of luxuries - socks etc - has not reached me. I expect now I shall not get it until we return to Tuna - when I don't know. Several other parcels on the road I have also missed. Letters I have got quite safely - there is not sufficient transport to allow for parcel post. I hope you got my letters written yesterday to Bertie - 3 sheets - as it brings all news up to date -also the one describing the fight at Guru. However you will see all the news in the papers and I have kept up my diary.

Many thanks for all your mail letters which I have received safely - also the newspapers, the last about Barts Hospital and Mr Lowcey's death. I will not comment upon your letters as it only fills space and is not interesting to you. I received Daisy Bull's second letter - please tell her much love dear Delia.

Your affectionate brother

Cecil Mainprise.

Gyantsee, Monday 11-04-1904

My dear Delia,

Just a line as I hear a post comes in and goes out by Mounted Infantry early tomorrow morning. We only arrived here this evening at 5pm. Yesterday we had a very long day as the Tibetans opposed our advances from a high hill commanding a very narrow gorge through which we had to advance. It took some hours to dislodge them and I am sorry to say in the process they lost another 200 killed beside several hundred captured - our casualties were very slight. They were to have opposed us the day before on the 9th at a huge wall they had erected across a Valley but they fled during the night. We arrived here this evening (frozen) without opposition and we find that nearly everyone has fled from the town. There is a fort here held by a few men which we hope tomorrow morning they will hand this over to us without fighting. For the last 4 days we have been marching from 8am until about 6pm about so we are all rather tired. after our nine days march from Tuna and 15 days from Chumbi. There is a great chance I think of us going on to Lhassa as there is no one here of importance with whom the Mission can treat. It is warmer here a little but rather a desolate spot - not so nice as we had expected. Goodnight - too tired to write more - I am fit and well. Much love to all.

Your affectionate brother , Cecil.

Tibet 20-3-1904

My dear Delia,

In my letter to Bertie which he will forward by the same mail as this - I talk of our advance tomorrow to Gyantsee but unfortunately this advance has again been postponed. Rumour has it that some Chinese "Amban" is shortly arriving at Tuna to treat with the Mission there. But this probably all "rot" and if he does arrive nothing will come of it except delay to our advance.

I am so sorry you received no letters from us last mail but I think the fault lies with B as I seem to be always writing letters. Your sweater has arrived and am delighted with it, "it is just the very thing I wanted". Do you remember our Christmas presents? Talking apart I am so glad to have it and very many thanks - dear Delia - for sending it.

You talk also of socks, handkerchiefs - be arriving and these also will be much appreciated - as these are luxuries indeed up here. You say March 20th as the probable date of arrival so I can begin to look out for them now. Don't worry about my letters - send them to anyone you please - only you had better send someone along to read them to the various people!!! I wrote to the Cousins a few weeks ago - so I expect you will hear of this from them. Bertie is sending along by this mail several amateur photos given to me - I hope you will like them. They are all I have got so please keep them carefully - Send them down to No 19. Please tell dear Daisy Bull I received her letter safely but she mustn't expect a letter from me until next mail.

This is for her.

With much love to all

Your affectionate brother

Cecil

Editor's note: Photograph of man and woman travelling on horseback in the Chumbi Valley is believed to have been taken by Sir Charles Bell between 1904-1922. For more historic photos of Tibet visit the The Tibet Album.

Chumbi 15-1-1904

My dear Bertie,

I received your letter this morning and I was glad to hear that you had had such a splendid Christmas. There is a Drake Brackman in this show. I expect it must be a brother of your friend. My last letter I wrote direct to Delia as I wanted it to catch the mail. I continued from Kapaap from which place I despatched my last letter to you and which you tell me you forwarded on. Except for the cold and the hard going over huge boulders very slippery from the ice, the Talap Pass presented no difficulties and we arrived here on the 7th, finding the General and the Mission had gone of to Phari, twenty miles from here. There has been no fighting except that one officer of the Gurkhas 4th had a brickbat thrown at him when at Phari which knocked him silly for a time during which his rifle and ammunition were run off with. It has been kept very quiet and I don't know the full particulars. He had some Sepoys with him but they had been given instruction not to fire so the fellow, a Lama, got away all right.

Half the troops are here and half at Phari but I understand that we are all shortly moving up to Phari where about 2000 Tibetan are expected to be threatening about. It is intensely cold here but my Tibetan Doolie bearers have built me a house of stones where I have a fire all day long and I hence am fairly comfortable at night. I crawl in to heaps of bedding sown together to form a "bag" which is the only way to keep warm. Stores are now off and I have come down to the Tummy's ration of bread, meat, potatoes, sugar, Tea, etc. Luckily I have an 'A' cook who makes these things into a splendid dinner. At present I am messing in the hospital as the tents are so small and everyone is moving about daily so much so that everyone makes their own arrangements for messing and there is no general mess. However when I do dine out I find that I get a much finer dinner at home.

I have very few sick so I am not overworking. I tried my hand at my rifle yesterday and hit a handkerchief rolled in to a knot at one hundred yards twice following - my only shots - so I think it is fairly accurate. I then had a turn with my revolver where I went all round a tin - could not hit it for "nuts" so before I fire at a Tibetan I shall run up to him and fire. I am actually keeping a diary so I shall be able to write a book on my return.

I went to see the only English woman in Tibet, a missionary at Yatang. She has been here since 96 -although the Indian Government have tried hard to turn her out. She keeps a "store" otherwise the Tibetans themselves would turn her out. I bought some stores and she gave me the most delicious lunch ending up with some Mince Pies so I did very well. Her name is Miss Anna Taylor and her Sister describes in the Illustrated London News Supplement of December 5th 1903, a visit to her and this part of the World. There is also a lot about her and Tibet in the Guardian, which number I do not know (this information for Delia).

My dog Pincher is doing wonderfully well and I do hope he will live. I have never seen him fitter with an appetite like a wolf. I received Delia's mail letter yesterday, written on Christmas day. I'm afraid my money for toys for the Children arrived too late. Still it would do for New Year's day. Everyone seems to have been exceptionally kind to the youngsters who had any amount of toys. Goodbye, I am very fit and actually managed to have a bath today at 12 o'clock when the sun was up.

Your affectionate brother

Cecil

PS: The two Sappers here are Capt. Elliott CRE and Garstin - Sappers & Miners (Madras) - but don't think they have met you. Cecil.