Chapter II Summary and Analysis

The pair travels through gorges and valleys and David-Neel remains alert and afraid that she may be discovered at any moment. They are now in a more thickly inhabited area and pass through several small villages, still avoiding detection by passing them very early in the morning.

They have stopped in a cave near the path to eat one day when a wealthy woman traveling by horse and with several servants stops before them. She begins to question them about where they are from. She asks them specifically if they are "philings," or foreigners. Yongden stands up to draw attention away from David-Neel and answers that they are "dokpas," a Mongolian people from the northern part of Tibet. The woman seems to be satisfied, and moves on. Later, her husband passes by, but does not even glance at them...