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

few days' interval could be used with great profit and pleasure for a renewed
visit to Persepolis. Received there once more by Professor Ernst Herzfeld
with the kindest hospitality, I was able at that, the grandest of all early sites of
the New East, to gather instructive impressions of the important new discoveries
which since my preceding stay had rewarded the labours of the leading explorer
of the ancient monuments and history of Īrān. Those three days full of profit and
scholarly interest and stimulating in every way will always be cherished by me
in grateful remembrance.

A very fortunate chance had caused my short stay under the hospitable roof
provided by Professor Herzfeld at the palace which once housed the seraglio of
the King of Kings, to coincide with a visit paid to Persepolis by Monsieur A.
Godard, the Director of Antiquities in Īrān, then on his way to Shīrāz. Thus
a favourable opportunity offered to acquaint that distinguished and ever
helpful archaeologist with the obstacle immediately facing me, and to ask his
friendly advice as to how to secure a renewal of permission for my explorations
in the future if postponement for the time being proved inevitable. When,
a few days later, we met again at Shīrāz I learned without much surprise, both
through M. Godard and direct from the Governor-General, that a continuation
of my archaeological work on the desired lines could not be allowed for the
present.

Following M. Godard's kind advice, I at once prepared a fresh application
intended for submission to the Government at Tehrān through the British
Legation, setting forth in full detail a programme of exploration planned for the
following autumn and winter within the great Province of Fārs. Assured of
M. Godard's readiness to recommend it to the Ministry of Education for appro-
val, I was able on March 29th to set out once more for Bushire with a mind freed
from uncertainties and with revived hope for future work in Īrān.

By April 2nd I sailed from Bushire for Karachi, cheered by the kind wishes
of Colonel and Mrs. Fowle and Major Gastrell, who had done so much by their
sympathy to lighten the cares of my preceding long halt there. Before seeking
the quiet of my Kashmīr mountain camp in order to get through the very heavy
writing work that lay before me, I was able to devote a few weeks to a renewed
tour in that beautiful valley of Swāt on the Indian North-West Frontier which,
even after my successful explorations of 1926 on Alexander's track, had lost
none of its antiquarian fascination for me. This tour in refreshing semi-alpine
surroundings was made easy by the kind help of Major W. R. Hay, then
Political Agent on the Malakand, and of that remarkable ruler and old friend, the
Wālī of Swāt, until an unlucky riding accident cut it short and obliged me to
seek Kashmīr prematurely for sedentary work.