Tachienlu, Apr. 30.
'ESTERDAY, Gladys Schwake; an American gi left the south gate for Batang, twenty days west of Tachienlu, She had two riding and ten pack animals carrying her stores, outfit and clothing, Miss Schwake is a nurse from Buffalo and has been on the border for two years. She is now returning to this, distant outpost in central Asia to work with the Nichols, an American family resident in Batang.
Fortunately she is part of a caravan provided by Col. Fu to take military stores and equipment to this lonely Chinese garrison, Apart from these armed military caravans, travel is now difficult and dangerous west of this city.
Col. Fu's caravans have a heavy military escort and these are needed when crossing the Jedo, 15,000 ft., Gazhi over 15,000 ft. and Rama passes, 16,000 ft.
The only difficulty about a military caravan is ils slowness. The traveller in the saddle by @ a.m. and the Journey continues till about 2 p.m. when the horses are rested tilt the following morning, Travelling By the tulag system where the animals. are, changed practically every day the Journey can be accomplished twenty days, Travelling with the same animals all the way the tra veller is usually some thirty and note days on the road, There Is, however, the great advantage of being able to ride the same. mule every day and thus get accustomed with one's own animal, With a french mount every day there more or less of a tension not knowing the nature of the brute one riding. Col. Fu has. shown some consideration in providing good riding animals for the Tong journey: and apparently he sent a specie mule for Miss, Schwake's conffort and peace of mind, The old lag' system some~ times called for two and three di ferent mounts in one day and on casions this could be quite nerve tacking, specially if the mount had been loose on the kfasslands for some
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.