1 
20 THROUGH ASIA 
Its equipment should be completed in Turkestan and 
Ladak, and nothing need be taken from Stockholm except 
instruments and firearms. Accompanied by one assistant, 
whose duty it would be to take astronomical observations, 
I propose to travel through Russia to Baku, across the 
Caspian Sea to Usun-ada, and thence by rail to Samar- 
kand. It is my intention to drive through West Turkestan 
in a tarantass by way of Tashkend, Kokand, Margelan, and 
Osh, and thence over the pass of Terek-davan — all places 
well known to me — to Kashgar in East Turkestan, the 
termination of my former journey in 1890-91. In Kashgar 
I shall hire a horse caravan to take us, by way of Yarkand 
and the Kara-korum pass, to Leh, where there are an 
English agent and English merchants. The journey to 
Kashgar will take two months to accomplish, thence to 
Leh one month, so that, if all goes well, the beginning of 
August should see us in Leh. 
It was also my intention originally, from the region 
around Lop-nor, to try and penetrate over the Kwen-lun 
Mountains into Northern Tibet. But in December of 
last year, whilst on a visit to St. Petersburg, I met General 
Pievtsoff, wTo in 1889-90 made the expedition previously 
mentioned into East Turkestan. General Pievtsoff ad- 
vised me against attempting to carry out my plan along 
the lines which I then unfolded to him. He had had 
unfortunate experience of the difficulties which travellers 
encounter in those regions, having endeavoured unsuccess- 
fully to penetrate into the country with horses and camels. 
Train animals perish in great numbers owing to the 
difficulties of the country, the inclement weather, the 
rarefied air, and the almost entire absence of pasturage. 
General Pievtsoff advised me to make Leh, in Ladak, the 
starting-point for my proposed expedition into Tibet. 
There one can procure not only the necessary provisions 
and articles essential to an adequate equipment, such as 
tents, saddles, furs, felt carpets, household utensils, boxes 
for collections, etc., but also reliable men, natives of the 
adjacent provinces of Tibet. Above all, he told me, that 
tame yaks were also procurable at Leh, animals to which 
k 
