The Avenging Buddha

Amidst the chaos of the Tibetan Uprising in March 1959, monks loyal to their God-King fought to keep treasured artefacts from the clutches of invading Chinese soldiers. Four horse-drawn carts full of gold and precious jewels left Lhasa in the wake of the fleeing Dalai Lama. Three carts were captured by pursuing soldiers. The fourth cart escaped, but appeared to vanish off the face of the earth. The legend of The Fourth Cart became a well-known tale circulating the bars of Patpong in Bangkok. One man even claimed to be the sole surviving witness to its fate, and would show listeners an enormous ruby which he claimed to be part of the treasures still lying buried in Tibet. One listener found the allure of buried treasure too strong to resist. What came next is a matter of speculation . . .