IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Across Asia : vol.1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
RECORDS OF 'I'Hi✓ JOURNEY
The district sells oil, grain, cattle mostly from the neighbourhood of the Labrang monastery in Tibet, raw hides from the neighbourhood of Labrang and Sining, and hemp. Tchinkho, beans, ymei (?), oats and a little wheat are grown in the mountains; tchinkho, beans, wheat, peas in the plain, and millet, tchumiza and some opium in the N.
Hochow is connected by arbah roads with:
Lanchow across the Media ho, Tantopu and Agansien, 4 days 210 li; Titao-chow across the Media ho, and Sindia pu, 210 li, and Taochow.
By mountain roads with:
Titao-chow over Matjati, Lianghua shan, Kang ku, Jang shan, Syön hua pu, 3 days; Sining over Handjati, Tchita pu, Sunhua ting, Lamu, Bajansjung zapa and Sinchuang; with Lanchow 3 days; Taochow over Tchoku; Sasuma 7 days; Minchow over Tchoku, Sasuma, Labrang.
After staying a day in Hochow and hiring mules for my luggage as far as Labrang, March 22nd. we were rather delayed in starting this morning as 2 cavalrymen, whom Ma-ga-lian had Shui-tan-pu placed at my disposal, did not turn up at the appointed time. One of them had a fine carbine village.
Suhl —95, but only ro cartridges, the other a carbine Spencer —65 with 15 cartridges. As the district round Labrang was said to be very unsafe and I had 4 good rifles and plenty of cartridges, indeed, but only myself and Lukanin could handle a rifle, I told them to go and ask for another 20 cartridges each. One of them replied that no more than ro cartridges were to be had for the Suhl carbine, but that a further supply could be obtained for the other one. However, this also proved unobtainable — the keys of the arsenal had departed with Ma-ga-lian for a month's stay in the country. However, the Djentai sent me a further guard consisting of two old tchyping soldiers armed with enormous swords which they carried over their shoulders and which served as excellent hangers for various pieces of clothing that would be considered superfluous in the equipment of a warrior in most countries. In their belts they carried dainty little cases for the pieces of paper, cut in the shape of a lampshade, which were to be stuck under their caps to protect their eyes, spectacle cases, the size of which must have helped to enhance their social position, long pipes, tobacco pouches and some other odds and ends. Their duty consisted in accompanying me on foot and they were to be relieved by other men at every post we passed. — The district mandarin considered that my rank and dignity required that 1 should be accompanied by two »jais», a kind of menial whose cast was considered one of the few in democratic China to be unworthy of enjoying the privileges of citizenship. A descendant of a jai or a »tsei rin», as he is said to be called officially, may not occupy the post of a mandarin. Hairdressers, actors and eunuchs are supposed to be in the same position. 5 pack animals with 3 men and a litter with 2 mule drivers increased my staff and at the same time the disorder in my little expedition.
The weather was beautiful — real summer according to our northern ideas. The road led at a distance of about 2/3 of a mile from a river against the current in a SW direction. There were hills and mountains on the other side and on the right, at a distance of a mile or two, a huge perpendicular eminence which grew more and more mountainous the further
) 549
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.