国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

shal YANG TSZNG-HSIN, concerning the impending arrival and aims of the expedition, afterwards sending me a copy of this wire, and to give me a letter of introduction to YANG. We took it for granted that this document with the marshal's own red seal would open all doors for us in the distant province in the west.

INCREASED ANTI-FOREIGN CAMPAIGN

Meantime, the political tension was increasing, and nationalism and the hatred of foreigners were growing stronger. Many, among them the Chief of the General Staff, YANG YÜ-TING, desired a compromise between North and South China, but stipulated that Kanton should dismiss its Russian advisers. Some of our European friends considered that the political unrest was to our advantage, in so far as no one knew what was going to happen or how the new régime from the south would look upon a European expedition; the politicians had neither time nor inclination to enter with any thoroughness into our affairs, which in relation to the great events of the moment were totally insignificant. All the more powerfully did these events affect our plans. Someone suggested that if FENG YÜ-HsIANG and CHANG TSO-LIN's troop movements obstructed the way for our departure, we could always journey to Novo Sibirsk, Semipalatinsk and Urumchi, and embark on the preliminary expedition from the west.

PROCURING HYDROGEN GAS

Dr WALDEMAR HALIDE, the meteorologist of the expedition, had expressed the desire with the help of pilot balloons to investigate wind-currents in the higher air-strata above innermost Asia, where such investigations had never before been made. As it would have been much too time-consuming and risky to send cylinders of hydrogen gas from Europe, Lufthansa wired to me asking me to find out whether the necessary supply of compressed hydrogen gas could be procured in East Asia. I received a reply in the affirmative from Japan, but it proved, nevertheless, to be no easy matter to transport the cylinders to Tientsin and Peking, as the captains of the cargo-boats were dubious about taking such a highly explosive substance. Finally, however, a small coastal boat was requisitioned and we got the cylinders over to Tientsin and afterwards Pao-t'ou without mishap.

CARAVAN LEADER

As the caravan leader of the expedition I engaged my friend and countryman F. A. LARSON from Kalgan, »The Duke of Mongolia ». He had 35 years' experience of Asiatic roads and of the people, spoke Mongolian and Chinese, had for several

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