STORES AT LEH 



bags for the journey. No supplies, except sheep and 

 milk, are obtainable in the interior of Ladak, and conse- 

 quently everything else had to be taken with us from 

 Leh. As two other expeditions (those of Captain 

 Welby and Captain Deasy) had a short time before 

 left for China, one of which had taken amongst other 

 things 200 maunds (over 7 tons) of atta, there was some 

 difficulty and delay in getting all we wanted. As an 

 instance, I may mention that one sportsman, while we 

 were there, bought up the entire stock of onions in Leh, 

 and we could get none. 



Curious to relate, we found at Leh a Hindu merchant 

 from Amritsar, called Mohan Lai, who had a shop with 

 all sorts of tinned provisions, candles, oil, lamps, stationery, 

 and even wines, spirits, and tobacco. More than once 

 when we were in the interior we were glad to supplement 

 our supplies from his stores, and found his prices most 

 moderate and his commodities excellent. He also very 

 civilly took charge of some boxes we did not want to 

 take round with us, and kept them safely till our 

 return. 



Butter we obtained from Aligarh in the North- West 

 Provinces. Mr. Keventer, whose large dairy farm at 

 that station is now so well-known, sent us by parcel 

 post a one-pound tin of fresh butter twice a week ; and 

 notwithstanding the length of the journey, and frequently 

 a long detention at Leh, it always reached us in capital 

 condition. We had mentioned this butter to Church, 

 and he took some with him across the frontier, the first 

 time probably that Mr. Keventer's butter was ever used 

 in Tibet. 



