24 PASSPORTj GUNS, 



reports of our last year's explorations. We were as 

 straitened as ever in our finances, the sum assigned 

 for the use of the expedition in 1872 not having 

 been received in full at Peking. But this difficulty 

 was happily arranged, thanks to the renewed kind- 

 ness of General Vlangali, who again lent me the 

 necessary moneys, amounting to even more than 

 the anticipated receipts of the current year. The 

 General also procured from the Chinese Government 

 a passport to enable us to travel in Kan-su, Koko- 

 nor, and Tibet. The Government, however, offici- 

 ally notified that, owing to the disturbed state of 

 these countries, travelling in them was attended by 

 considerable danger, and they would in no case be 

 responsible for our safety. 



To provide for any emergency which might 

 arise, I determined to Increase the number of our 

 guns, which, as we have already seen, are the best 

 defence a European can have in travelling through 

 those parts of Asia which are inhabited by a treach- 

 erous and cowardly set of thieves. 



At Peking and at Tien-tsin I soon obtained 

 several breech-loaders and revolvers. The best of 

 my new guns was a rifle by Berdan, carrying a bullet 

 at point-blank range upwards of 400 paces, a quality 

 of the greatest importance in firing at unmeasured 

 distances. This gun I reserved for my own use. 

 My companion and one of the Cossacks each took a 

 Snider, and the other Cossack a Martini-Henry with 

 a seventeen-barrelled revolving chamber ; lastly, a 

 fifth Spicer rifle was taken in reserve. We supplied 



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