me

—and Rowland had taken me Caspian. There I have been into his charming house and sitting in splendid isolation for treated like & brother, the last two years at the court Bottled beer and gram - fed of a Kurdish potentate oalled mutton in Ladakh-the mem- the Khan of Bujourd. He's ory of them lingers still! We nominally under the Shah, had not met since, but it did but as & matter of fact he not take us long to find out doesn't give two hoots for any that we were both bound for one; 80 I felt a little lonely home next day, and to arrange sometimes, especially when he to dine together.

oommenced to discuss with me At dinner our knowledge of in a perfectly academio spirit each other's recent doings was the probable outcome of his quiokly brought up to date. outting off my head. However,

“ After that summer you he deoided against it in the were up shooting in Ladakb," end- I really never quite knew Rowland began, “I stayed on why. in Leh till the spring of '14. " In normal times it would It was a good job and suited not have been too bad at me. My summers in Leh were Bujnurd, for there is some good lonely of course, except when fishing near-by-& fish very like fellows like you came up and the mahseer. Then, too, there stopped with me, for the only are quite a few tigers in the other white folk were the heavy forest by the CaspianMoravian missionaries. But sort of Terai country it is. No, after all, the shooting was well not the long-haired tiger-the worth it, for it is not every ordinary one. But as things one who has his way paid by were, I had to keep a very close Government to shoot an Ovis eye on my Khan, to try to head ammon. Then, of course, in off Pan - Taranian emissaries winter I went down to Kash- from Baku and Bolsheviks mir and lived like a Christian from Turkestan, so I was too amongst my fellow-men, with busy for anything of that sort. some of the finest duck-shoot. Yes, I have just come down ing in the world at my door- from there—a longish trek it no, I've no complaints against is, too." Leb,

"Talking about those Mor“But early in ’14 they trans- avians at Leb," I said, "I ferred me to the Gulf, and then wonder what happened to the war oame. At first, of them in the war? Of course course, I applied repeatedly to they were Huns to a man, so I be allowed to rejoin my old suppose they were interned, battalion, but I was, it ap- but I must say I think they peared, indispensable, and as might have been made excep& matter of faot the Hun tions. Mind you, I hold no agents provocateurs' did keep particular brief for their as quite busy. After a bit Í missionising, for as a matter of was transferred to Teheran and fact they probably did not thence to the South - Eastern make a convert from one year's

As a

end to another, - Buddhists mann down as missing, bedon't proselytise readily. But lieved killed,' for as far as I if they did not save souls, at know there is none now alive least they mended bodies: it is who saw him die; Kenway the medioal side of the Mor- probably was there, but then avian Mission for which the Kenway is dead too. It is a most stiff -necked Buddhist very queer story, and at the must be thankful, and many a time it did not seem to me that sahib too, who has fallen sick any good could come of makhundreds of miles from other ing publio all I knew. But help when shooting in the with you it is rather different hills. You remember old –for you know the country, Weismann, and what a fine and you knew the men confellow he was? I should like oerned-so if you care for the to meet him again, for I often story after dinner I'll tell it to think of that story you told you as well as I can. me about him-how he heard matter of fact, there is a letter, that poor Kenway was lying too, which Kenway left me; siok over the passes from Leb, only yesterday I happened on and how he went to fetch him, it in my kit just out of Cox's, and orossed the Karzong La so I'll fetoh it after dinner, as twice in one day to reach him it is quite handy here in my and bring him in!

In Deo- room. ember too, wasn't it? Over When dinner was finished the Karzong twice in one day we went downstairs to the in mid-winter - that's some lawn, and choosing two chairs going. And he saved Kenway by the balastrade overlooking that time, though he died later the harbour, settled down with actually in Leb. But you were our oigars. Stretobing out his still there then, so of course legs and leaning back in his you know all about it. Weis. ohair, Rowland beganmann must have been vexed “You knew Kenway, ef that he failed to save him a course. Only just met him? second time.”

Oh, well, I knew him well. He “Yes, I was there all right was a very remarkable man. when Kenway died; but Weis- He had been in some Highland mann could not well save him regiment, but went early on then, for to the best of my coming into the family place belief he was himself already in Dorset. While he was still dead."

in the Service he had been & “You don't say 80-I never bit of an arobæologist and a so

& heard of that; but then, of great linguist too-was one of course, one wouldn't, for they the very few fellows in the don't pablish the death of a British Service with a 'Degree Moravian padre in the casualty of Honour' in Persian. So. lists. How did it happen, for when he realised that money he was hale and hearty when was short and that he would last I saw him?"

find it very hard to sorape “Well, we must put Weis- along as a coanty magnate at

.

home, he let his place to a rich He had a very bad go of enAmerioan and wandered about terio, but the Moravians pulled the world to indulge his him through, and by the time arohæologioal bent. But in his I reached Leh that spring he subaltern days he had been ap was already convalescent. He in Kashmir on leave, and had had originally intended crossgot so bitten with that country ing the Karakorum that sumthat in after years he was mer to have a look at the ruins never long away from the round Khotan, but after his illHimalaya. He would spend ness he did not feel fit enough years on end pottering about to go so far afield. He had amongst the Baddhist

inscrip- found a kindred spirit in Weistions and remains of Western mann, who was himself, of Tibet and Kashmir-a humble course, a reoognised authority follower in the footsteps of on all sorts of Tibetan lore,-I Aurel Stein. I met him several remember he had been busy for times on his wanderings and years on a monumental work liked him immensely, for he which he meant to call & always strook me as a large, 'Corpus Inscriptionum Tibeti. sane, self - reliant individual, carum,' or some such name, if differing from the ordinary run it had ever been finished. one meets, in that, though he Weismann had told Kenway a had a very healthy liking for lot about the remains of an the flesh-pots, still he could ancient monastery at Spadum deny himself for years together in Zanskar, only a few marches in pursuit of his hobbies. He from Leb across the Indus, so was a very keen sportsman finally Kenway decided to put too; but in this the naturalist off Khotan till later and to always came first, and I re- spend the summer investigatmember he was one of those ing Spadum. most interested in the pro- "I saw nothing of Kenway posed mammal-sarvey of the all summer; bat Weismann Himalaya that the Duke of went over to spend some weeks Bhad in view at one time with him, and on his return With all this, he was one of oame to tell me about the the best-read men I have ever doings at Spadum. It hap. met, full of all sorts of abstruse pened to be a busy day, so knowledge, especially of Asiatio I'm afraid I did not give the history-which, of course, was old boy the attention he de& necessary concomitant of his served. However, I gathered archæology. In fact, he was that Kenway had roped in a at once a man of the world, & perfeot army of the looal savant, and a sportsman-and Zanskaris, and between them & most charming companion at they had unearthed baried all times.

ruins of very considerable ex“It was the winter before you tent and-according to Weiswere last ap in Leh, wasn't it, mann-of tremendous interest. that Weismann brought in Kenway was still out in Kenway over the Karzong La ? Zanskar when I went back

VOL CCVII.NO. MCCLV.

2 T

6

to Kashmir that autumn, and we settled down by the fire I understood that he intended in my study. It was the last wintering in Leh to arrange time I ever saw them toall the material he had col. gether, and the scene comes leoted at Spadum.

back to me very clearly: the “Sare enough, next spring I dark room, with its fliokering found him still in Leh, busy firelight dimly revealing Kenwith the arrangements for his way-solid and well-groomed deferred trip to Khotan; and, even in his old shooting -suit somewhat to my surprise, I-lying baok reposefully in heard that Weismann was to his arm-obair, in marked congo with him. I helped them trast to Weismann, lean and both a good deal with their cadaverous, with straggling preparations, and remember brown beard, who was orouch. being struok with the extent ing forward to the blaze and of the "bandobast' they were playing nervously with those making. The Karakorum road blae glare - glasses that he to Turkestan is a big enough never went without. undertaking certainly, but “I remember telling them Kenway was buying horses then that I expected a long and mules wholesale and pay- account of their doings when ing fanoy prioes for the best. they got back." Old Mohan Lal, the merchant As

matter of fact,' in the Leh bazaar, was aoting Kenway replied, 'that is just as his agent in this. You re- what I want to talk to you member the good old boy, of about. Of course Central course? He drank himself to Asian exploration is always & death in the winter of '13, bit of a risk; but there are I'm sorry to say, and how some peopliar features about they manage now in Leh this trip of ours, so, though without him I can't think. it may seem rather nonsense Well, in the end they got to. to you, we both feel we are gether as well-found a oaravan in for a pretty big anderas ever left Leb. Chiefly Zan- taking accompanied by more skari ponies they had bought than the usual danger. For they're much the best; and that reason We want someKenway had got hold of old body to know where we have Mahommed Mish as caravan- gone in case we don't turn bashi. He oouldn't have done up again; but if you were to better than that, for the old hear our plans now, in your man went with Maloolmson official position you might feel through Tibet in '96, and obliged to put a spoke in our knew Central Asia like the wheel. So here is a letter palm of his hand.

that I want to give you, but “One evening, just before I'm going to ask you not to they were due to start, Ken- read it till we have been way oame over to dinner with gone month. Do

you me and brought Weismann agree?' with him, and after dinner «© All right,' I said ; 'you

are

oan give me the letter, and I Herodotus, as you may re-
promise not to read it for a member; and as his account
month, perhaps not then, for has a very important after-
as long as you don't ask me bearing on my story, I shall
to connive with you in infring- quote him more or less in full,
ing the orders of Government This is what he says :-
you can go anywhere you " Another kind of Indians
pleage as far as I'm concerned live in the land of Paktyika,
to Timbuotu and baok if you away towards the North
want to. But mind

you

take from the rest of the Indians; care of yourselves all the same; their manner of living is we don't want any regrettable much the same as that of incidents or complioations.' the Baotrians.

These are “So Kenway gave me this the most warlike of all the letter, and shortly after he and Indians, and it is they Weismann started on their who

sent for the travels. Some time during gold. For in this country the summer I opened the there is a sandy desert, and letter: here it is, and this is in this sand there are ants what I read :

which are smaller than dogs

but larger than foxes. *DEAR ROWLAND,- W. and These ants make for them. I have gone, not to Khotan, selves burrows below ground, but into Tibet-as you pro- and in doing so throw up the bably suspected. But what earth as ants do with us, will surprise you is the reason and in the same manner; for our going: we have gono they also look exaotly like for gold. Now, do not be in a ours. This thrown-ap sand hurry to put us down as mere oontains the gold, and for fatuous treasure-hunters, but the sake of this sand the first let me explain to yon the Indians are sent into the grounds on which

desert. When the Inbasing our search.

dians arrive at the place Now, has it ever struok you, with their leather bags, they I wonder, what a prominent fill those with sand and ride place in history the gold of away as quiokly as possible, this part of the world has for the ants who have always held ? Perhaps you

found out what has haphave never thought about it; pened through their sense of anyway the subject has always emell are at once after had a faseination for me, and them, and they are exceedfor years I have been tabulat- ingly swift. Thus, if the ing in my mind odd soraps of Indians do not gain a good evidence bearing apon it.

start before the ants bave • To begin very far baok- gathered, none of them the Greek and Roman writers would escape” (Herodotus, teem with references to the lib. iii. 98-106). subjeot. One of the earliest Of course it is very generallasions is to be found in ally agreed that the "Indians

are