Preliminary Preparations. 



of India, if the applicant is resident in India, or to the Foreign 

 Office if in England. The apphcation should set forth in detail 

 the nature of the proposed journey and the objects thereof, the 

 route it is intended to follow, the strength and composition of 

 the caravan, and details respecting arms and ammunition to be 

 taken. The sanction of Government having been obtained it 

 then becomes necessary to apply for a Chinese passport, which 

 for those serving in India is obtained through His Britannic 

 Majesty's Minister at Pekin, and at home through the Foreign 

 Office. Passports to travel in Russian territory, other than 

 Russian Turkistan, for which the special permission of the 

 Governor-General of Russian Turkistan is required, are obtained 

 through the Foreign Office in London. 



These preliminary steps, of necessity, take some time, so 

 that the applications should be lodged at least six months 

 before the date on which it is proposed to start. 



In my own case permission was duly accorded, and I then 

 applied to the British Minister at Pekin for a Chinese passport, 

 which was readily procured for me, and forwarded without delay. 

 The matter of leave of absence from my regiment was also satis- 

 factorily arranged, and then it only remained for me to fix the 

 date of my departure. 



My watchword for the expedition was "mobility," as I 

 knew that if I set out encumbered with an3'thing beyond the 

 necessary kit my prospects of achieving the object in view 

 would be seriously jeopardised. Everything was cut down as 

 low as possible in order to facilitate rapid marching, and the 

 covering of the vast distances separating the shooting grounds 

 so as to reach them as nearly as possible at the right seasons. 

 I appreciated that those distances would necessitate much 

 hard marching, though I never realised it would be as severe 

 and trying as actually proved to be the case. 



With regard to stores I think it a mistake to carry too many, 

 as they greatly hamper a traveller's movements and render any 

 attempt at mobility futile. A number of things, such as rice, 



