CHAPTER I I
PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE
By the end of March 1903 nearly all our preparations
were made, and the more cumbersome goods forwarded
to Srinagar by the slow but sure bullock-carts,
there to await our arrival. Our caravan-ponies, forty-
three in number, were purchased in Leh, as we intended
to use that place as our base of operations.
The caravan-bashi, Abdul Khalik by name, bought
these ponies for us. Since his name will frequently
appear in this record of our travels, it is necessary to
enumerate briefly his virtues and his vices, though as
time went on his many bad qualities completely
overshadowed the few good points in his character.
He was an Argoon by birth, half Pathan and half
Yarkandi, a Mahomedan by religion, and a sharper and
bully by nature and education ; about forty-seven years
of age, of imposing and, to the natives of the country,
of awe-inspiring appearance. He could lie fluently in
seven Eastern languages, and possessed an extraordinary
knowledge of the world in general. These talents were
further accentuated by a most persuasive manner.
His ordinary vocation was that of an intermediary
between the different merchants, of all nationalities,
who visit Leh : in this position he was able to exercise
his peculiar talents to the full, though numerous
indiscretions had caused him to become intimately
acquainted with the interiors of many prisons.
Cunning and audacity had, however, enabled him to
render these visits of but short duration.
He first appears in history as a mule-driver in the
service of Captain Bower, where his great capacities
for lying quickly brought him into notice. This
expedition evidently proved sufficiently lucrative to
encourage him to seek out more sahibs ” on whom he
could exercise his cunning. In 1897 fate threw him
into the path of Captain Deasy, who was about to
proceed to Chinese Turkestan. On this occasion,
however, his villainies were quickly exposed, with the
result that he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment
at Gilgit.
Apparently his ardour was in nowise damped by
this experience, for in 1902, when I visited Leh,
Abdul Khalik, hearing that I intended to enter Tibet
on some future occasion, came to me with the outward
appearance of a bland and innocent gentleman and
requested to be engaged as caravan-bashi. At this
date I knew nothing either for or against h im: no
information was to be obtained from the natives
beyond the statement that he was invaluable in
dealing with Tibetans—they were glad enough,
probably, to get rid of him at any price. Completely
deceived by his manner, he was at once engaged by
me, and received full instructions as to the part he was
to play in the preliminary arrangements.
Hargreaves reached Srinagar about the 17th of
April, while I arrived, a fortnight later. The first
week of Hargreaves’ stay was spent by him in giving
the finishing touches to the stores, repacking and
sorting them for convenience in transport. All the
eatables and perishable goods were packed in yakdans
(light wooden boxes covered with thin leather). They
are quite ideal for carrying stores, being light yet