THE ROOF OF THE WORLD 699 
under his horse’s hoofs, and was to be feted, and honoured 
With a military concert and display of fireworks. But I 
withstood the temptation, steeled by the thought that 
I had not come to Asia for the sake of pleasure ; besides, 
I already knew the route to be travelled over. 
General Gerard also had his temptation for me. He 
cordially invited me to eo with Colonel Holdich and the 
rest of the English Boundary Commissioners to India. 
Which drew me with the strongest fascination — that dis- 
tant land of fable and mystic dream, or the society of 
Colonel Holdich, I cannot say ; but this I can say, I have 
seldom met a nobler-minded, pleasanter gentleman than 
Colonel Holdich, and I left him with the desire strong in 
my heart that we might soon meet again. 
But my sense of cluty got the upper hand at last. My 
road lay towards the east. There was still much exploring 
work to be done in the deserts around Lop-nor and in 
Northern Tibet. Moreover there was another powerful 
attraction in Kashgar, namely the post from Sweden, 
which should be in again by this. I therefore on 14th 
September bade farewell to the two generals and other 
officers, and watched them trot out of sight ; then, accom- 
panied by my own attendants, I turned my face towards 
the silent, solitary mountains which border the Pamir 
plateaus on the east. 
The doings of the Anglo - Russian Boundary Com- 
mission belong henceforth to history ; their labours fill a 
permanent niche in the story of the political relations of 
England and Russia in Central Asia. The territories 
of the two great powers on the Pamirs now touch one 
another ; there are no ownerless districts, no buffer zone, 
between them to afford a handle for political intrigues. 
Kirghiz and Afghans are not now allowed to cross the 
new frontier-line unless they are provided with a proper 
pass. 
Will that be the last boundary commission appointed 
by England and Russia in Asia? It might well be sup- 
posed SO; and yet — the destiny of Persia is not yet 
decided. Besides, who knows what the future shall bring 
