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

over, they needed complete new photographic equipment. We ourselves also needed a first-class set of cameras, films and plates for the ethnographical work as well as the usual meteorological instruments.

HASLUND had come to Stockholm from Sinkiang some time before our arrival, bringing with him a big temple-yurt that he had acquired from the Qara-shahr forgut chief SENGTSEN GEGEN, who had dedicated it to King GUSTAF. On September 8th this was handed over to His Majesty, who decided that the gift should be deposited in the Ethnographical Museum in Stockholm.

After our departure it was exhibited to the general public in LILJEVALCH'S Art Gallery, where it aroused much interest. (See Pl. 1o).

Among those who visited me during this stay in Stockholm was Sir CHARLES BELL, who had stayed in Lhasa for longer than any other European in recent times. M. HAARDT, who had traversed the whole of North Africa in Citroën cars, sent Major BERTRAND and Mons. GUERCHER to me for information about the roads across Asia, for he was planning a new CITRON expedition. It was a great pleasure for me to give them all the particulars I could. In the following there will be occasion to return to this motor-car expedition several times.

During September I had the very great pleasure of once more seeing both Dr CUSHING and VINCENT BENDIX, who paid separate visits to Stockholm at this time. BENDIX was accompanied by HERBERT LINDEN. I was delighted to be in a position to repay something of the hospitality and friendliness I had enjoyed at their hands in America. For all his solid republicanism, BENDIX was happy at the opportunity of waiting upon a king, and at the chance of a long conversation with our Crown Prince. On both of these occasions he gave convincing expression to his intention of lending his support to our expedition also in the future.

BACK TO CHINA

It was once more time to set off eastwards again. I had intended to leave for Sinkiang, where I had big geographical plans of my own; and in this case I should have entrained on the new railway-line over the Kirghiz steppe from Orenburg to Tashkent and thence by the Turksib railway to Alma-ata, to proceed by car via Bakhty to Urumchi. Everything was ready, and the Russians had granted my request to be allowed to take this route. But disquieting news arrived from Peking. The big contingent of our expedition that had been equipped there in the late summer for the campaign in Mongolia and Kansu had not received their passports. The weeks passed, and still there was no reply from C. T. WANG, the Foreign Minister in Nanking. Many other things also called for my presence in Peking, so that I was obliged to revise my original plans. Sinkiang with its enticing problems must wait, and I took the old familiar route through Siberia.

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