Abominable Snowman by Major Herold William

Abominable Snowman is written by Major Harold Bil Tilman (1898-1999). He was a British mountain explorer and battler in the first World War. He came to India in 1934. He volunteered for service in the Second World War.

There are several mysteries that cover many phenomena in the world. You might have read or heard about UFO ( unidentified flying object) and Bermuda Triangle which are enveloped with several mysteries. In this lesson, the writer attempts to unravel the mystery about Abominable Snowman.

What is The Yeti or Abominable Snowman?

It is a huge, hairy apelike creature that walks around on two legs high in the mountains of the Himalayas. It is waiting to attack unsuspecting climbers. It is on the prowl for a meal of flesh. Who and what is this horrible beast? It is waiting to attack unsuspecting climbers.

It is a massive, hairy apelike creature that walks about on two legs high in the Himalayan mountains. It is waiting to attack unsuspecting climbers. It is on the prowl for a fleshy meal. Who and what is that awful beast? This is none other than the Abominable Snowman.

There is no proof or evidence that the Abominable Snowman also known as the Yeti is a living creature in fact. There are still rumours despite the lack of evidence. People still claim to have sighted the shy and elusive creature. They say they have seen their footprints. They claim to have pieces of their skin and portions of their scalp.

Every piece of evidence over the years has proven to be false. One Yeti skin was the hide of a rare Himalayan bear that wasn’t recognised by villagers. The Yeti scalp was of a rare goat-antelope from the Himalayas. A blurry image of the creature climbing a mountain turned out to be nothing more than a rock sticking out of snow. Assumed footprints of Yeti appeared to be nothing more than semi-melted bear tracks.

The truth is that the Abominable Snowman is very unlikely to exist, or that such a thing ever existed. It most likely sprang from the folktales told to the children of this a long time ago. The Yeti came down from the mountains in those tales to carry away kids who had disobeyed their parents.

Summary of Abominable Snowman

In this chapter, the author attempts to unravel the mystery of the Abominable Snowman. In 1921, Colonel Howard Bury, who was the leader of the first Mount Everest party, noticed the footprints which resembling those of a human being on the Lakhpa La, a 22,000-foot pass northeast of the peak. To him, his porters’ belief that the tracks were made by wild snowmen was absurd.

He thinks science embraces all the speculations and the scientist traces on that basis to add something new to that expertise. If fingerprints can determine a man’s destiny, why can’t one’s life be determined by footprints? So, the writer continues his attempt to find out the facts behind the abominable snowman. Mr Henry Newman enquired the porters and got a complete summary of the wild men called Metch Kangmi. Kangmi means snowmen and Metch as Newman happily translates abominable.

Mr Newman believed the tracks were made by men who were either outlaws or ascetics struggling to acquire magical powers by cutting themselves off from humanity and refusing to wash. The abominable snowman has stayed a mystery for a long period. In 1936, while travelling the upper Saiween, Mr Ronald Kaulbacle reported having seen five sets of tracks at 16,000 feet that looked exactly as if made by a barefooted man. Different views and theories contradicted the report but he confirmed he discovered no monkey or langur in the region.

He did not, however, dismiss the idea of giant panda and snow bear. In an article in The Times, Mr Smythe explained how he and his Sherpa porters found the imprints of a giant foot, apparently of a biped, in Garhwal in the central Himalayas, at 6.50 feet. Photographs and measurements were taken and the Sherpas were persuaded to sign a statement that the tracks were those of a Metch Kangmi to clinch matters. The prints were sent to the zoological experts later, and they declared them to be the prints of bears.

In nutshell, any tracks then or afterwards seen in the high snows could be ascribed safely to bears and nothing else which is of course nonsense. In 1938, too, the author saw tracks that could not be explained by shouting bear as much as those seen by Kaulback, Eleauman, Bhale and others. The author was in Sikkim and in 19,000 feel travel between Kanchenjunga and Simbu, he was crossing the Gemu saps with two Sherpas. He was told that Brigadier John Hunt had made the last visit to those parts.

There is a distinction between tracks witnessed by Hunt and by the writer. The writer has finally come up with his last and more important evidence found by A.N. Tombazi who studied footprints that were similar to a man’s but only six to seven inches long in case. Five-toe and instep marks were visible but signs of heel unclear. The prints were definitely biped ones.

Tombazi repeated with a reasonable degree of confidence that the form of this mysterious person was equivalent to the outline of a human figure. The writer considers Mr Tombazi clearly an unwitting and all the more reliable witness with his incredible legends and delicious fairy tales on that. He ends with his affirmation that tracks for which there is no adequate explanation have been seen and will, no doubt, continue to be seen in the Himalayas. We must refer them to the Abominable Snowman until the other strong claimant appears.

The Abominable Snowman Questions Answers

Q.1 What analogy has the author used for proving the existence of the Snowman?

Ans. Almost all the shreds of evidence that have been collected to prove the existence of the snowman consists of only footprints. But the author says that footprints should also be considered important evidence. He says that if fingerprints can hang a man, there is no reason why footprints should not be considered important.

Q.2 Why did the author want to start his enquiry with Mt. Everest?

Ans. The author wanted to start his inquiry about the existence of the snowman with Mt. Everest. He said that it was fitting that the starting point of the inquiry should be Mt. Everest because its summit had not been conquered till then. The Himalayan region was itself quite mysterious for a long time and strange things had happened there very often.

Q.3 How did Mr Kaulback react when people suggest that footprints could be those of Gaint Panda?

Ans. In 1936, when Mr Ronald Kaulback reported having seen five tracks of footmarks and published his report in ‘The Times’, many people suggested that the footprints could be those of the giant panda or snow bear. Mr Kaulback reacted that he was ashamed that he had not thought of it himself. He considered the people’s suggestion a righteous one. But then he also added with the hint of sarcasm that he had never heard of pandas in those parts.

Q.4 How did Mr Tombazi happen to see Snowman?

Ans. In 1925, Mr A.N. Tombazi made a tour in Sikkim. When he was some 10 miles from the Zemu Gap, he was called by his porters from his tent. They showed him a mysterious figure which was standing like a human being. It was walking upright and trying to uproot some bushes. It showed dark against snow, wore no clothing. After sometime disappeared behind some bushes. Mr Tombazi found the footprints which were similar to those of a man.

Q.5 Describe H.W. Tilman’s sighting of tracks in Sikkim.

Ans. The author Major Harold William Tilman also found mysterious tracks in Sikkim. The author describes his tour and says that he with his two sherpas was crossing the Zemu Gap at 1900 ft height. They were between Kancheganga and Simvu. The weather was thick and the author saw a single line of footsteps, which was definitely not many days old. The sherpas and the author followed the footprints but the tracks disappeared on some rocks on Simvu site. The author reached Darjeeling and made enquiries. He was informed that no party had been out there recently. The author was surprised to know that the last visit to those parts had been made a long time ago.

Q.6 How did the author justify his contribution to the sum of knowledge about the Abominable Snowman?
Ans. The author explained his contribution to the sum of knowledge by stating that science embraces all speculation just like bookies. He has collected evidence of the existence of Abominable Snowman, is made up of footprints but he says if fingerprints can hang a man there is no justification why footprints should not decide one’s life.

Write an essay in about 250 words on “Mountaineering in the Himalayas” on the basis of the following points:

Why people prefer Himalayas for mountaineering.

Precautions to be taken before setting out.

Help of local sherpas.

Precautions during climbing

Mountaineering is an adventurous activity one undertakes in high mountain regions to explore the mysteries underlying it. For mountaineering, people prefer the Himalayas, because it is full of mysteries of the widest ranges. It is the largest explorable field. People have tried to uncover its regions but much more remains to be done.

Before embarking on a mountain climb, one must be careful and aware of the potential dangers. One must study well the regions that one selects for mountaineering. All the requisite equipment must be arranged. One must know the direction, height, curves, etc. of the regions.

For a mountaineer, the local Sherpas are of great support. They know all the regional facts. They can guide one in a specific direction. If one is in trouble, they can provide all sorts of local help. One has to be particular about the team and supplies, oxygen, food and direction during mountaineering. One should be supportive of each other.

Mountaineering provides sustenance for local people. They are getting new jobs and exposure. They will make their business prosper. Mountaineering, however, impacts the local eco-system in some ways. Due to the rush of people from outside areas, they change the facets of people’s natural life.