The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-19
A DAUNTLEsS EXPLORER.
Sven Hedin Going Home to Sweden,
Where Honors Await Hin.

After three years wandering in Asia.
Sven Hedin, the intrepid Swedish ex-
plorer. is on his way home A great re-
ception is said TO await him and pub
fishers are eagerly competing for the
right to the book he is to write descrip-
tive of his journey across Tibet
How cool the explorer is in the face
of danger and how difficult has been his
task is shown IN a letter which Sven
Hedin has sentvto King Oscar Of Sweden,
and which, after long delay, has reached
Stockholm An abstract of it has been
sent by Secretary John B. Jackson, of
the United States embassy at Berlin. to
the National Geographic Society here. In
it the explorer tells how he was turned
back from the sacred city of Lhasa, the
Tibetan capital
He left his headquarters in northern
Tibet IN July last disguised as a Buryat
AID accompanied only by a Monaghan of
his caravan, similarly disguised, and set
out south They carried only absolute
DeCessaries, but after two days Journey
robbers attacked them and relieved them
OF some of these, taking also their two
best horses.
After this attack they took turns in
watching every night, ,hree hours at a
time It was the rainy season and it
rained in torrents all the time
They worked through at last and reach
ed Inhabited country. Nomads, all I'M
suspecting that Hedin was z European,
showed them the way to Lhasa But after
two days hard marching three soldiers
appeared before them and informed the
pair that they were prisoners.
They were well treated, put were warn
ed that an attempt to escape would be
punishable with death. The governor of
the province was coming and would de-
eide what to do with them
He arrived at last and sent word 70
Hedin that he would receive him. The
explorers cool reply was that he had no
special desire to see the governor, but
that if his exceliency wanted to see him
he could be found in his tent
The result was that the governor ac-
companied by sixty-seven chiefs and
eouriers, appeared at his tent, gorgeousIy
appareled- They informed Hedin that he
was an Englishman, and that It was i'm
possible to allow him to proceed to
Lhasa
He was also informed that they were
aware that he had large caravan in
the north, which was attempting to enter
the governors province, and accordingly
all northern entrances were strongly
6CGIuCu-
The governor finally gave Hedin pres
ents of horses and sheep and returned
him to the border as a prisoner of war
under guard Of twenty soldiers They
reached their caravan in August, thank
full to have escaped so luckily, and Hedfn
gave UP the idea of reaching Lhasa
The whole caravan started out later
across the southwest corner Of Tibet.
bound for Leh, on the northern boundary
of India. a force Of 800 armed riders
from Lhasa stopped them and threatened
to fire on the caravan. Hedin replied that
in that case every one of his people with
their superior firearms could easily dis
pose of the thirty-six Tibetans.
He finally convinced the commander thar
he didn't intend to try TO reach Lhasa
and after his escort had been REINFORCED
by 500 more horsemeR they all started on
the southwest route When convinced Of
Hedin's good faith the cayaIcade of
horSemen left his caravan to pursue its
way alone. 1t reached Leh safely at the
end OF last December. and now the ex-
plorer IS coming home to his triumph
Philadelphia Record.