New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-23

A THOUSAND MILES ACROSS THE CENTRAL
ASIAN DESERT.

ASIAN DESERT.
ryrou An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or TIE TRBUNE.l
Paris, November /.
An interesting tale of exploration and adventure
Is furnished by NJ. Bonvalot. the travelling COM
panion of Prince Henry of Orleans in Central Asia
They set out more than year ago from Russia
and passcd through Siberia and China. But their
hnsxst important experiences were a1 Thibet
while looking toward Batang," says NJ. Bon
valot. II cast secret glances at Lhassa and
especially at the lofty uney plored tablelands of
Thibet Prievalsky. tue Russian, and Carey, the
Enclishman were the first and the last since
the day of Fathers Hue and CADET who have at
tempted to visit these unknown regions. Pc
rusal of their narratives had convinced me that
the difficulties they had had to surmount were
nothing new uncommon to me. Upon one oc-
casion Prjevalsky had to turn back for want OF
money; upon another because he was attacked;
upon third for want of a guide; and then again,
because of threats addressed to him from Lhassa.
Except upon the shore of the lake which never
freezes he had followed the caravan routes and
that taken by Fathers Hue and CADET making
toward the Mouroussou or Upper Yangtse. Carey
had followed for several days fresh route lead
ing from Tcharkalik tat the further end of the
Lob-Nor) toward Bogalik and the Tsaidam. Va
nous reasons had led him to retrace his steps
toward the north but, he says in his narrative.
Il had not recognized that il impossible to
advance in a sOutherly direction / was firmly
resolved to avoid the errors into which these two
travellers fell. Both had run short, at a given mo-
ment, of provisions, gudes-and prudence. So
we had to carry with us ample provisions for
man and beast, and then forgot the dictates Of
prudence So we left the Lob-Nor with about
six months provisions of food, and ready to
any SOFT Of risk. II is said that to venture
is to succeed; we have ventured, and we have
succeeded"
The travellers made their way, the vast
plateaus of Thibet, thousand miles of
desert, at altitude varying from $4,000 feet to
10, 900 feet, and reached the south of Lake Ten
gri-Nor. which is only days journey on horse
back from Lhassa. They then made eastward
by new route, and it was only at Tchangcha
that they rejoined the main route formerly fol-
lowed by the French missionaries. From
Tchang-cha," says NJ Bonvafot, I'VE went to Ba-
tang, and by Li-Tang to Ta-Tsien-Lou, where
fell in with some compatriots. Altogether we
have travelled about 1900 miles in an unknown
region, nearly half Of the way without guide.
1t is true that we have had q terrible winter,
the quicksilver freezing, and we have been as
sailed by terrible storms, which took our breath
away, which blinded us and which made it still
more trying to walk at so great an altitude. We
which blew from the west, and feel in
fancy the sand being dashed up against our hoods.
Such were the conditions under which we had to
seek our way; at times could not distinguish
@ man ten yards in front of US: sometimes we
could not even open our eyes so it is not sur
prsing if we lost some of our men and cattle and
were in a constant state of apprehension. The only
con'bustible we had was the droppings of the
wild yaks, and no water. For period of two
months we made our tea with ice, which
generally dirty and mixed with sand and earth,
so that a bit of pure ice was great treat, and
we filed our bags with it whenever the opportunity
offered For we marched more or less at hap
hazard, and had to take provision of ice AND
yaks droppings enough to last several days. AZ
ter long days march We often had to wait hours
and hours for tea, as the yaSs' droppings-
ergol. as Father Hue calls it-would not burn
properly.
Our beasts of burden-camels and horses alike
t<were decimated. or, to speak more accurately.
Every one of them died of fatigue, thirst and hun
ger. The snow swept off by the wind,
and the animals had nothing to drink.
Upon the other hand, we had not enough COM
bustible lime to melt the ice for them, even
when we happened to be near a frozen pool. Twice
we had hot springs close to our camp, and the
horses which slaked their thirst al them died on
You will see that none of us were too well off.
One of the camel drivers robust he seemed,
died of what is known as the mountain complaint,
his face being tumehed, after bleeding good deal
at the nose. Two days before reaching Lake
Tengr-Nor we buried second camp follower, who
had his toes frozen of, and who died one night
while the wolves were bowling around our bivouac.
1t was time that we should get back among our
fellow-men, for most of us could not have gone
another week. After some long negotiations with
the authorities of Lhassa we obtained what horses
and yaks we required and made eastward, keeping
20 the north of the high road from Lhassa to
Batang. / am unequal to giving you any details,
for / have too much in my head, and my impress
sions are so accumulated that do not know where
TO begin and BESIDES l am thinking more Of what
remains TO be done than OF what We have already
accomplished
At the same time, may add that we lived
up the tabeland of Thibet amid chaos OF
SO high that one seemed to be mounting up TO
heaven, there being one chain after another. with
summit overlapping summit. Down below, III
the plain, were white surfaces which might have
been taken for lakes, and which were merely salt
or frozen pools, over which we made short cuts,
or else vast sheets of water dashed by westerly
wind and so salt that even O polar cold could not
CONCEAL them. The only inhabitants of these
deserts We're herds of antelopes, vast troops OF
yaks few crows, and native birds. Some days
we saw nothing, not even the crows, which follow
the caravans as a shark docs ship, the solitude
being almost overwhelming, so that after few
DAYS of il our men were on the lookout for some
human form, just shipwrecked men look for
a sail upon the ocean. They were in high glee
when they thought that they could see horSeinan,
a pedestrian. or a horse even. but when these
proved to be optical delusOns ,t they became came
never forget. The mania that man has for his
fel fellow would go to show that if he is not
always reasonable, he is nearly always sociable
Prince Henry Of Orleans showed nm inns goo ra
traveller enduring and courageous The explorers
finally came out in 1ndo-China. and made their
way' 10 Hanoi. in Tonquin. where they were first
heard of by the civilized world AFTER many monthS'