National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

V.   I N UR UMC H I

ARRIVAI,

half-past four on October 4th we drew up in our own courtyard, where

t   e

nobody seemed to be expecting us. But then my letters and telegrams

had not arrived. But soon they came rushing out, Sim PING-CH'ANG, NoxuN, HASLUND, DErr xANN, all deeply tanned after the excursions of the summer. They bade me heartily welcome back and enquired anxiously after AMBOLT, and whether HUMMEi, had arrived in time.

Major HEMPEI, was now at the meteorological station in the Bogdo-ula. During the spring and summer NORIN had carried out a first reconnoitring expedition to the Qum-darya, the new course of the lower Tarim in the Lop Desert, finding that the river now actually was flowing due east as I had been told in Turfan on February loth. In the Quruq-tagh Noxur had begun extensive geological work; but he will tell of all this himself in another place in the present work. HASLUND, who together with BERGMAN had journeyed through the Quruq-tagh, along the lower Tarim and in the Astin-tagh to the south of Charchan and Charkhliq, had at the end of August ridden to Urumchi from the latter town. DETTMANN, who during the summer had served with HALIDE and Iii at the meteorological station in Charkhliq, was now about to leave the expedition and return to Germany. In September Major WALz had left the post as head of the meteorological station in Kucha in order to return home via India. The student Liu was now in charge of the Kucha station as well as its mountain-station. As assistant he had got one of the students who had been trained in meteorological work in Urumchi during the summer. The other members were working in different parts of the vast province.

On our arrival in the provincial capital the customs officials descended upon us and our car-column like hawks. The heavy baggage was guarded by three soldiers, while a crowd of customs officials fell upon our hand luggage, that was littered out on the floor and examined with painful scrupulosity. A sheaf of letters and papers was confiscated, and was not returned to us until a month had elapsed, and then only after repeated reminders.

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