this large part of the expedition to this place; but for the detailed description of their experiences the reader must be referred to their own reports. I will here only mention that the whole group had originally been intended for work in Sinkiang, whither they also betook themselves over Siberia, but were held up at the frontier and refused permission to enter the province. They then proceeded to Peking, equipped a caravan in Mongolia and assembled here at this camp, to which BERGMAN and BEYEI,I, had already come on October 19th, while the others arrived a week later. They were now waiting for a further twenty-five camels that were being fetched from Chakhar.
Everything reminded one of our camp on the Khujirtu-gol in the summer of 1927. Here, the little watercourse near the camp was called the Aibagh or Aibaghin-gol. It flowed northwards, and some were of opinion that it was indeed a continuation of the Khujirtu-gol itself. Several of the Mongols had been with us on the first journey, among others BATU and his brother YAMIYAN SURUN, BANCHE, MATE LAMA, BIMBA, SARAN GEREL and SAIN BII,IK. Newly enlisted, on the other hand, were BUYAN JIRGAL, and SANGRUP. From the ANDREWS expedition they had procured the services of the very skilful taxidermist and digger, CH'ANG.
We were frozen after our journey, but inside the tent we soon thawed out around the iron stoves, which were well stoked up with argal. Everybody was glad that our difficulties and troubles had been overcome for this time and that we could once more face the future buoyed up with hope. We were all, both those who were already encamped here and we new arrivals, on the threshold of a fresh stage in the expedition.
It was long since HUMMEL, and I had slept in sleeping-bags on the ground, and we revelled in the cool comfort of tent-life. It was, however, a little chilly to creep into one's sleeping-bag in seven degrees of frost; and it was still worse to creep out again in the morning!
On the evening of November 3rd LARSON and MONTEL,L, arrived by car from Kuei-hua. In the dust-storm that arose the following day we performed a solemn ceremony between the tents. Four of the veterans among the Mongols had on the first journey so distinguished themselves that the King of Sweden had awarded them medals of merit: MATE LAMA in gold, the others in silver. The Mongols stood there in single rank while I gave a little speech and then fastened the medals on their thick sheepskin coats. BATU advanced a pace in front of the others and thanked me on behalf of the medallists. They had only done their duty, but they were proud and grateful for the honour that had been shown them by our king. (Plate 14).
We discussed in the greatest detail the plans and the sphere of work of the new expedition. The charter we had received gave the members unexpected freedom of movement, in the provinces of Shansi, Sui-yuan, Ning-hsia, Kansu and Sin-
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