CHAPTER 15DALTON LAMAR had done well in Tibet until almost the precise moment of the Defense Secretary’s remark, which was made just before midnight, Friday, Washington time, but a little before noon, Saturday, Tibet time, near the settlement of Tsien La, population 19, elevation 15,826 feet.
At first, it had been a matter of getting acclimated. Not only was the hamlet far above timber line, it was above the optimum for Rocky Mountain goats. But after a man learned to walk and breathe at the same time, the air was bracing.
Overcoming linguistic barriers with sign language had been easy, but social mores were more difficult. At first, he had worked himself into an untenable position with the father of his present family by communicating with the wrong daughter, but he had extricated himse
