Indian Antiquary Vol 46

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 238

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[OCTOBER, 1917
After visiting a number of interesting Buddhist ruins in the district of Bai, I travelled tu Aksu, whero Lal Singh's and my own routes opportunely allowed a brief meeting. He had manage to carry his plane-table survey at three points up to the snow-covered watershed of the Tienshan, including the glacier pass below the high massif of Khan-tangri. Help! secured from the obliging Tao-tai of Aksu subsequently enabled him to follow a new route on his way to Kashgar, between hitherto unexplored outer ranges of Kelpin.
Regard for rent tasks obliged me to move in rapid marches to Kashgar, which was reached on 31 May 1915. There at my familiar base I was received with the kindest hospitality by Colonel (now Brigadier-General) Sir Percy Sykes, who bad temporarily replaced Sir George Macartney as H.B.M.'s Consul-General. Though a shooting trip to the Pamirs suon deprived me of the congenial company of this distinguished soldier-statesman and traveller, I continued to benefit greatly by all the help and comfort which the arrangements made by him assured to me during my five weeks' stay at Chini-bagh.
The safe re packing of my collection of antiques, filling 182 heavy cases, for its long journey across the Kara-Koram to Kashmir, and a host of other practical tasks kept me hard at work all through that hot month of June. In the midst of it I felt greatly cheered by receiving the final permission of the Imperial Russian Government for my long-planned journey across the Pamirs and the mountain north of the Oxus, which the kind offices of H.E. Sir George Buchanan, H.B.M.'s Ambassador at Petrograd, at the instance of the Government of Incin in the Foreig: Department, had secured. Considering how long I had wishes to see this extreme cast of ancient Iran, and that part of the "Roof of the World" under which it shelters, I could not feel too grateful to the Imperial Russian Government for having showing this readiness to give me access to ground, which for the most part had never before been visited by any British traveller. Its diplomatic representative at Kashgar, ConsulGeneral Prince Mestchersky, lost no chance of facilitating the arrangements for my journey by kiiul recommendations to the Russian authorities across the border. But throughout it was a great comfort to feel, during that time of preparation, and still more on actual travel, how much of that kind help and attention I directly owed to Lord Hardinge, and the alliance of the British and Russian Empires he had done so much to render possible.
By 6 July 1915 I was able to leave Kashgar for the mountains westwards, after having completed all arrangements for the passage of my eighty heavy camel-loads of antiques to India. But the suudmer floods in the Kun-lun valleys, due to the melting glaciers, woull not allow the valuable convoy to be started at once towards the Kara-koram passes. So R. B. Lal Singh, to whose care I had to entrust it, had set out in the meanwhile to complete our topographical labours in Turkestan by a careful survey of the high snowy mountains, which continue the Muztagh-ata range to the headwaters of the Kashgar River. Before he rejoined mo for manifold final instructions I could enjoy a week of delightful seclusion for na uch urgent writing work, on a small fir-clad alp above the Kirghiz camp of Bostan-arche. Lower down in the valley my brave hardy camels had enjoyed weeks of happy Frazing in coolness badly needed after all their long travel and trials. When the time on me for my start, I confess I felt the final separation from them almost as much as the temporary one from my devoted Lal Singh. Of my other assistants, I kept by me only young Afrazgul, whom I knew to be ever useful, even where survey work or digging could not be done. The rest were to accompany my collection to India,