aving London, that the steamer had
stranded just before reaching her port of destination, and that grave
doubts were entertained as to the possibility of saving even a portion of
her cargo. This was at the time of the outbreak of the Turco-Greek War,
and the Russians were reported to be mobilising their troops along the
Afghan frontier. I did not wish to delay my journey, and although my
preparations were complete for going through Russia, I nevertheless
decided to abandon that plan and go to India, with a view to penetrating
over the Himahlya into Tibet. I sailed for India on March 19, on the P.
and O. ss. _Peninsular_, and reached Bombay three weeks later.

It was my first visit to India, and my first impression was certainly not
a good one. The heat was intense, and signs of the plague were
discernible everywhere. The streets were deserted and the hotels bad and
dirty for want of servants, who had abandoned the town in fear of the
scourge.

Accompanied by a Parsee friend, I went to several of the districts of
Bombay chiefly affected by the disease, but I noticed, wherever I went,
little else than a strong odour of disinfectants. It is true there were
few houses in those parts which had not ten, twenty, and even more
circular red marks, denoting as many deaths, and on one door, which I
photographed, I counted no less than forty-nine circles. But I was unable
to gauge personally with any sort of accuracy the nature or extent of the
disease, beyond seeing in the hospitals a few violent cases of bubonic
attacks.

On the day following my arrival in Bombay, I proceeded by rail to
Bareilly, which was reached in three days, and from there one more night
brought me to Kathgodam, the terminus of the railway line. Travelling
partly by Tonga (a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by two horses) and partly on
horseback, I found myself at last at Naini Tal, a hill station in the
lower Himahlyas and the summer seat of the Government of the North-West
Provinces and Oudh, from whence I wrote to the Lieutenant-Governor,
informing him of my intention to proceed to Tibet. I also called on the
Deputy-Commissioner and made him fully acquainted with my plans. Neither
one nor the other of these gentlemen raised the slightest objection to my
intended journey into the sacred Land of the Lamas.

CHAPTER II

Loads--A set of useful pack-saddle cases--Provisions and
scientific outfit--Clothes and shoes--Medicines--Under way--The