CHAPTER LXXV. 
OVER THE KWEN-LUN PASSES 
O N June 29th we were all up at sunrise. My peaceful 
house in the garden was cleared out. The horses 
with the pack-saddles were brought in, and loaded with 
packing-cases and boxes. Some of them, in consequence 
of the long rest, had become restive and shy, and through- 
out the first day had to be led separately. 
Whilst the men were getting the caravan arranged for 
the start, I went to pay my farewell visit to Liu Darin, 
and presented him with a gold watch, which 1 boug t 
from a wealthy merchant from Ladak. 1 o the military 
commandant of the town, who had presented me with 
a very good carpet for my tent, I gave a revolver, together 
with our surplus ammunition. Alim Akhun got a bell and 
a khalat. In fact, I overlooked nobody who had been 
in any way helpful to me. The Tatar merchant, Rafikoff, 
undertook to send home my archaeological collections, the 
wild camel’s skin, and a number of carpets I bought in 
Khotan; and thanks to his care and the kindly offices 
of Mr. Petrovsky, everything reached Stockholm not a bit 
the worse for the journey. 
It was ten o’clock before everything was ready, and 
the long caravan, consisting of twenty horses and thirty 
donkeys, led by a troop of men on foot and on horseback, 
got into motion for the east. Yes, we were at last boun 
for tVi p r "F rist ^ 
It took us barely an hour to reach the left bank of the 
Yurun-kash, which had now a very different appearance 
from what it had a month earlier. Then it consisted of 
a single channel, which we rode through without any 
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