270 THE LAST OF CHINA 



style, with his son, daughter-in-law and grand- 

 children. The Russian Acting Consul at Ti-hua-f'u 

 had referred all business matters to M. Dobroff, 

 the Consul at Chuguchak. This gentleman was 

 most kind to us, entertained us at dinner, and 

 wired to St. Petersburg for permission to allow us 

 to proceed. The British Minister at Peking had 

 obtained leave for British subjects to travel through 

 Russia, but unfortimately the only road by which 

 it was practicable for us to continue oiu- journey 

 was not specifically mentioned. Hence, by the 

 universal laws of red-tapism we were "done." 

 In summer the matter would have been easy. 

 Three days' journey to Altai would have taken us 

 to the Irtish river and three days more to Omsk. 

 Now, a long sleigh journey, even when we had 

 obtained the requisite permission, lay before us, 

 for the river is not opened by the ice-breaker until 

 May. 



Mr. Peterson had passed us in a sleigh a few U 

 from the city gates, having done the last two stages 

 in one day. Mr. Hansen and his party arrived 

 shortly afterwards. Having been in the employ- 

 ment of the Chinese Government, they had not so 

 many difficulties to contend with in. the matter of 

 permits and passports. Part of the road on which 

 we intended to travel was under the authority of 

 the Governor-General of Tashkent. It was abso- 

 lutely essential to obtain his permission to use the 

 post-road, and in spite of the telegrams which 

 George had sent from Lanchow, it seemed as if we 

 should never procure it. On February 29th we 

 hired a sleigh and went out to Bakti, the actual 

 frontier station, eighteen miles distant. It had 



