ntry is reckoned
not to be more than seven stages. The force would bivouac, and, if their
advance were resisted, would confine themselves solely to defensive
tactics. In case of opposition, the greatest difficulty would be the
care of the wounded, as each invalid would need four carriers. Thus, a
few casualties would reduce enormously the fighting strength of the
escort.

But opposition was unlikely. Mr. Needham, who has made the tribes of the
Dihong Valley the study of a lifetime, and succeeded to some extent in
gaining their confidence, considered the chances of resistance small. He
would, he said, send messages to the tribes that the force coming
through their country from the north were his friends, that they had
been engaged in a punitive expedition against the Lamas (whom the Abors
detested), that they were returning home by the shortest route to Assam,
and had no designs on the territory they traversed. It was proposed that
Mr. Needham should go up the river as far as possible and furnish the
party with supplies.

All arrangements had been made for the exploring-party, which was to
leave the main force at Chaksam Ferry, and was expected to arrive in
Sadiya almost simultaneously with the winding up of the expedition at
Siliguri. Captain Ryder, R.E., was to command the party, and his escort
was to be made up of the 8th Gurkhas, who had long experience of the
Assam frontier tribes, and were the best men who could be chosen for the
work. Officers were selected, supply and transport details arranged,
everything was in readiness, when at the last moment, only a day or two
before the party was to start, a message was received from Simla
refusing to sanction the expedition. Colonel Younghusband was entirely
in favour of it, but the military authorities had a clean slate; they
had come through so far without a single disaster, and it seemed that no
scientific or geographical considerations could have any weight with
them in their determination to take no risks. Of course there were
risks, and always must be in enterprises of the kind; but I think the
circumstances of the moment reduced them to a minimum, and that the
results to be obtained from the projected expedition should have
entirely outweighed them.

In European scientific circles much was expected of the Tibetan
expedition. But it has added very little to science. The surveys that
were made have done little more than modify the previous investigations
of nativ