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negotiate as regent a sharp operator by the name of Tri Rimpoche.
Madame Blavatsky's intervention did more than save an eager colonel's life.
She saved his career and changed the nature of the mission.
Her spy network was not part of Russian intelligence. The Theosophy movement
had agents, too! HPB
had friends and allies among Buddhists and Hindus because of the many points
of convergence between her system and the Eastern religions. Weirdly enough,
she even made converts from their ranks!
She learned that the Russians had no intention of coming to the Dalai Lama's
aid. Shouting Cossack oaths at the British Empire was one thing; but close
scrutiny of a good map showed that the British only needed a few thousand men
to stop a Russian force of any size emanating from Lhasa. So why worry about
Lhasa? The mountain passes were so narrow that it was a defender's dream.
And then the Chinese made everything really complicated. Ironically, the
Russian agent Zerempil tried to kill the daring colonel as part of a mission
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to prevent China moving into eastern Tibet. The idea was that removing
Younghusband also meant removing a challenge to General Chao Her-feng. Since
Zerempil died instead, there was no way of testing his thesis. Zerempil never
bothered to consider the possibility that Younghusband's death might just as
readily embolden the Chinese.
As General Younghusband opened the door that would bring his wife face to face
with the person who had done so much to shape his destiny, he appreciated that
his honored guest's cigar had gone out. There were many small miracles and
mercies in this vale of tears.
The pale young woman stopped playing the piano.
"Dear, this is Madame Blavatsky."
The older woman took the younger woman's hands in hers and spoke softly. "You
are a gorgeous creature. I'm not surprised to learn that the source of such
beautiful playing is herself beautiful."
Younghusband had never seen his wife blush at the words of another woman
before. Her long swan's neck turned ever so slightly as if she half expected
HPB to kiss her. It appeared that Madame had made another conquest.
The general didn't need a séance to take him back to the day when Blavatsky
convinced him that she did indeed possess occult powers. How else could she
tell him where to find the exact place and moment in the Tibetan wilderness
where bandits had set upon the Dalai Lama and his party?
The leader of Tibet was enough of a mystic to recognize a good omen when it
rescued him! The British expeditionary force changed history that day.
"My husband promises an interesting evening," said Mrs. Younghusband, bringing
her better half back to the present moment.
Blavatsky allowed herself a chuckle and released her prey. "How else can it be
when I am here?" she
summed up with her usual modesty.
But HPB was in an expansive mood and left her favorite topic to return to
complimenting others. "Mrs.
Younghusband, you are a most aesthetic young lady. It could not be otherwise
with your fine breeding.
Blood will tell."
Unable to tear herself away from the old lady's devil eyes, she blushed again
and said, "Thank you, Countess."
HPB winked at her host. "You've told her about my background. All true mystics
have aristocracy in their past even if their modern circumstances are reduced
to that of a beggar." As an afterthought, she added, "Great generals are
reincarnations of earlier generals."
Before anyone could say Alexander the Great, they were all saved by a knocking
at the door. The butler, Robert Weber the Silent, was as quiet as God's
breath. The new arrival followed his example. So it was as if Tri Rimpoche
materialized in the waiting room a special envoy from the Dalai Lama.
There was a twinkle in the man's eye as he took the general by the hand and
said, "Sahib."
The general laughed. "My house is honored by your presence."
HPB shocked all present by speaking words never vouchsafed by her Secret
Masters: "Thank you for coming such a long way."
He bowed. "I could not deny you, Madame. Are we all here?"
"Two more are expected," volunteered their hostess.
Tri Rimpoche's dark complexion seemed to draw in more of the shadows from the
flickering candles than his companions. Perhaps he had an affinity with the
flame.
Slowly he removed his green gloves and passed them to Weber. "I must say, HPB,
you are looking remarkably well."
"Blame it on Tibetan barley," she replied. "I once had a premonition that I
was to die in 1891 but my
Master spoke to me and said I had a duty to live until 1910. So perhaps my
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life is the greatest proof of the supernatural I can offer."
"That, and your cigars," added Younghusband.
"How did you come to rely on such an unusual diet?" inquired the hostess.
"From Dorzhiev, a good Russian who loved Tibet. He died during the war,
unfortunately."
"The war," echoed Mrs. Younghusband. "If we are going to discuss all that, it
will be more agreeable with refreshments."
So saying, she ushered them past heavy curtains into the parlor proper.
Suddenly she stopped, embarrassed. "Oh my, I forgot. Is it premature to show
the preparations beforehand?"
Blavatsky waved away all objections. "No more so than to serve spirits before
I commune with the spirit
world! It's all right with me. I've reached the point where I am past the
rigamarole. The Secret Masters of
Tibet taught me to see through the illusion of our immediate surroundings. I
could just as easily conduct a séance out under the stars."
Soon everyone had a drink in hand except for HPB who availed herself of the
opportunity to ignite another of her cigars. Apparently the spiritual vapors
would not object to competition from more noxious mists.
Mrs. Younghusband counted herself fortunate that her husband did not have the
bad habit of tormenting his spouse with particulars of his military campaigns.
As her guests began to gnaw at strategy and tactics, she recalled the
newspaper stories that first trumpeted his success. Her man had proven wiser
than
General Macdonald and saw the future more clearly than Curzon. At the crucial
moment, he managed the alliance between His Majesty's government and Tibet
that succeeded in pushing back General Wang
Chhuk when the Chinese finally overreached.
The armchair diplomats went berserk right on schedule. Shifting Prime Minister
Balfour was more difficult than allaying fears in St. Petersburg. Finally,
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