India and Tibet : vol.1 / 183 ページ（カラー画像）

0183	India and Tibet : vol.1
インドとチベット : vol.1

0183

India and Tibet : vol.1

インドとチベット : vol.1

CHAPTER XI

DARJILING TO CHUIVIBI

DURING our stay at Khamba Jong Mr. White, Captain

O'Connor, and I had often talked over the question of

advancing into Tibet in winter. It had always so far

been assumed that with the approach of winter all opera-

tions on this frontier must cease, missions must withdraw,

and troops go into winter-quarters. But on the Gilgit

frontier we had taken troops across snow-passes in winter,

and Colonel. Kelly took troops and guns across the

Shandur Pass to the relief of Chitral in April, which, from

the softness of the snow, is the very worst time. I asked

Mr. White, who knew the Sikkim frontier so well,

whether there was really any insuperable obstacle to our

crossing these passes in winter, and as he said there was

not, and as he was heartily in favour of such a move, I

urged Government not to delay till the spring, but to let

us advance even in winter. We do not hesitate when

there is real necessity to send troops and missions into

unhealthy and hot places in the hottest season of the year.

Why, then, should we be put off by cold ? Against cold

we could take plenty of precautions by clothing troops

and followers with furs and sheepskins, and we should

doubtless lose some, but not more than we lose from

malaria and heat-strokes in hot places. And as for passes

being closed, I had had as much experience as most people

of Himalayan passes, and I knew that passes which are

closed for single men or small parties, are not necessarily

closed for large parties, which can organize regular shelters

and trample down paths in the snow. It was a risk to

take, and Lord Curzon and the Government of India

were courageous in taking it. But, like many other risks

149

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