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

Much precious time was lost with the visits and counter-visits that had to be paid. One day FAN and Liu came to ask both on their own and on YANG'S behalf to be permitted to see our meteorological station. The instruments were demonstrated for them by our students LI and Lm.

DETACHED EXPEDITIONS LEAVE

Various expeditions now began to set out from our new headquarters in Urumchi. On March gth NoRIN and his servants started out for Turfan in order there to equip his caravan for researches in the Quruq-tagh and the Lop Desert.

On March 13th the student Lm set off with MARSCHALL to relieve HAUDE at the Bogdo-ula mountain station, and the same day BERGMAN and HASLUND began their journey to the Lop Desert. They had three carts for the transport of their baggage to Turfan. There they collected about thirty of our own camels that had arrived from Hami. NoRIN, too, had already taken thirty-five of our animals from this town.

VISIT BY YANG

On March 18th I was woken early with the message that the Governor-General himself was on his way to our house and would be making his entry in the courtyard in a short while. Fortunately, however, it was a couple of hours before he made an appearance, so that we had time to procure cakes, sweetmeats, fruit and champagne and to lay the table in the dining-room. Presently the street was filled with the escort, fifty mounted men in red leather uniforms. Some of them rode into the courtyard, the others stood guard at the entrance from the street. The trumpet blasts gave echo from the nearby houses, the little blue Peking-car drove up to our steps and the great YANG alighted, to be received by Sul and myself. We accompanied him into the dining-room, where, after the usual greettings, I wished him a long and happy life. In return he thanked us for having come such a long way to discover treasures in his province. The mighty governor was then pleased to joke, and said that if he and I were to change posts Sinkiang would flourish, but the scientific expedition would soon be all at sixes and sevens, to which I replied that in consequence of such a change Sinkiang would certainly soon be in a horrible mess, whereas the expedition would surely go ahead under such a strong leader.

After a couple of hours YANG rose, and we followed him out to his car. As his mounted guard disappeared down the street I was irresistibly struck by a wild thought: pray God nothing happens to him just after he has been on a visit to us!

247