INTRODUCTION 
7 Bi second Danish Pamir Expedition, due to the initiative 
of Professor O. OLUFSEN, at that time a lieutenant, and 
under his leadership, left Copenhagen in March 1898. The 
route lay across Russia, by steamer over the Caspian Sea, 
by rail through Transcaspia, stopping at various places under- 
way, to Ferghana. In the little village of Osh whichis located in 
this latter country, our caravan was fitted out, and in the 
month of June we turned our faces southwards and went 
over Guldsha, Olgin Lug and the Taldyk Pass to the Alai 
Plain through which flows the Kisil-Su, a tributary of the 
Pandsh. South of the Alai Plain the expedition entered 
Pamir, passed the Sea of Kara-Kul, (about 4,000 metres above 
sea level), went over the Ak-Baital Pass and reached the 
Murghab River on which the Russian fort, Pamirski Post is 
situated. From this point our way led westward through 
Tshatir Tash to Alitshur Pamir, and in the neighbourhood of 
the mighty alpine lake, Jashil Kul, (about 4,000 mètres above 
sea level), we spent more than a month. This was the most 
important episode of the period spent in Pamir, especially for 
a botanist, as leisure was afforded for making excursions 
far and near. The expedition left this part of the country 
in September, going South over Tuz Kul and the Chargush 
Pass (4,240 mètres above sea level), along the Pamir-Daria 
to Wakhan. The autumn was spent in the southern and 
western valleys of Pamir, the Wakhan, Goran and Shugnan, 
and at the end of October we went into winter quarters in 
Chorock, a little country village situated where the Gund 
river joins Pandsh. In the beginning of March 1899, we 
retraced our steps across Pamir, which was now covered 
with snow, and the first days of April saw us again in Osh. 
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