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SUMMARY:
Mail is sent with Ludlow toward Lhasa via Tsela/Tsela Dzong amid uncertainty about Mohammed; the diarist writes Richardson for help and plans further dispatches to Tongkyuk Dzong to meet Henry on July 1. Entries for 21–24 March record letters from Richardson, Tsarong, Taring, and Fox, a large flock of migrating kites near Pemo, fair weather after heavy rain, and a route from Tongkyuk Chu past Pemo, Sishila valley, Parka and Parka Phu Chu toward Namla La, reaching Lokmo.

CONTENT:
We have sent our mail with Ludlow to Tsela to go to Lhasa as best he can arrange. It seems something has happened to Mohammed who hasn't made other arrangements for post. I have written Richardson to get our mail up at once from Gyantse & send it here by the man Ludlow sends to Lhasa. I have asked him again to get it to Lhasa by 1st August & 1st October & send to Tsela Dzong & to Tsetang. In the meantime I hope we will get news of Mohammed. We are to send our next lot of letters to Tongkyuk Dzong to meet Henry on July 1st. He will have to pack up & send off to Tsela Dzong.

21 March Halt. We had some news from the outside world on 19 evening, as some men came back from Lhasa with letters from Richardson & Tsarong & Taring & Fox. It was nice to get news, but it did not clear up our mail business. No-one mentioned it, & we now doubt even if Rai Sahib got to Gyantse at all. I have asked Tsarong's boys in Lhasa to make enquiries. Today we walked up to Pemo. Just as we got there a large flock of kites arrived - about 100-120 of them. Many came down on the fields where wheat was just coming up. A local fired a shot at them, then all flew off & went on on their migration route.

22nd March. Halt. Fine at last, after a night of very heavy rain, when snow fell low down to about 10000'.

23rd March Halt. Another fine day, but clouded over very quickly indeed between 5.0 & 6.0 pm.

24th March. Lokmo. About 10 miles. Path up the Tongkyuk Chu past PEMO at m 1 & so on past the entrance to the Sishila valley at m 4 1/2, and over the Parka Phu Chu at m 6, where the village of Parka lies. (about 20-25 houses & considerable cultivation). The Parka valley (called Shabra Lungba) lies due North from Parka. Beyond the village the path crosses a ridge & at m 7 passes the bridge which leads up another valley to the Namla La. Both rivers here are about the same size. The valley up which Lokmo lies is at a bearing of about 290°. Lokmo lies high up above the river, about 500'. There are some 30 houses & considerable cultivation. Another village is on...

SUMMARY:
Entries record travel from Pede via Khamba La to Gongkar Dzong, with variable weather including snow north of Lhasa and some rain. At Gongkar they halt, note improved local attitudes off the Lhasa route, and arrange to go by kowa to Tsetang with useful letters from Tsarong and Surkhang Dzasa Lacham. They remark on recent widespread snowfall in S. Tibet around 30th Oct, the cultivated Tsangpo valley, and abundant waterfowl including Brahminy and bar-headed geese.

CONTENT:
6

5th Nov. Pede. Cloudy but fine and no wind. Few ducks and geese on the lake. We got a few seeds on the way.

6th Nov. Khamba Trombo. Fine, but cloudy when we crossed the Khamba La, there were heavy clouds N. of Lhasa and snow falling briskly.

7th Nov. Gongkar Dzong. By kowa. Left at 10:00 and reached Gongkar Dzong at 3:30 pm. Fine, but cloudy and at night a little rain.

8th Nov. HALT. All arrangements made here very well. Bad weather over. Damned fine and clear. We have with us letters from Tsarong and Surkhang Dzasa Lacham, these are all proving of use. There is a change at once when one leaves the Lhasa route, to the behaviour of the people. Here they are more polite, easier to get on with, and I am sure, not so grasping. The Taspon on the Lhasa route is no longer the pleasant man he used to be. Money has spoilt him. Gongkar is a bigger place than we remembered. The valley behind is long and fully cultivated, being about 1½ miles broad at the edge of the Tsangpo.

I have always thought that October was the best, stillest month of the year. This has not proved so this year. The weather was very unsettled. When it snowed in Gyantse on 30th Oct, it also snowed generally over S. Tibet. Lhasa had a heavy fall and even in the Tsangpo valley there seems to have been a pretty heavy fall.

We have arranged, as in '38, to go by kowa from here to Tsetang. This is boring in the extreme, but boxes are not damaged this way. It is after Tsetang that the awful damage will be done by bullock transport. Even donkeys so far have done much damage.

There are plenty of birds on the Tsangpo now. Most are perhaps Brahminy, but there are also plenty of bar-headed geese. Have seen odd teal, and large flights of duck, but species not determined.

SUMMARY:
Travel from Gyantse to Dochen via Phari and Tuna with notes on weather, flowering plants, and limited seed collecting. Transport disputes with local headmen lead to a bribe; Pangdatshang intervenes, the party meets Dorje Tsering, exchanges currency, attempts wildfowl hunting, and receives letters of introduction from Tsarong.

CONTENT:
21st October. Gyantse. Very fine day after three days of heavy rain. We are not taking any specimens yet, but only a few seeds here & there. Today there were several fine clumps of Gentiana amoena in full bloom. Besides these there are many of a sp. of small blue Swertia, some Asters, Cyananthus lobatus, the usual odd blooms of Rhod. cinnabarinum which always appear in October. The Headmen of Yatung lived up to their reputation. They will not supply transport at the rates laid down. We have transport from Kalimpong to Gyantse, & yesterday the headmen tried to stop it going beyond Yatung. However Pangdatshang ordered them to let us go without hindrance.

22 October. Phari. Very cold in the morning, with thin clouds. Cleared up later and was lovely. Met by Dorje Tsering this time. Exchanged rupees at 3.35 sangs per rupee. The only seeds collected were P. bellidifolia. I could not find P. tenella under the snow.

23rd October. Tuna. A clear but very cold day indeed until we reached Shabra Shubra, about 12.15. As usual we could not get off to time, even though we had our own through transport. Last night the Phari headmen demanded a bribe. We could take our own transport if we liked, they said: if we did then they would of course not supply any other sahibs. Rs 20 bribe paid that night. Saw no gazelle or game of any kind.

24 October. Dochen. Fine still. Went after duck & geese in the afternoon. Have seen but we could get near nothing. Got a large letter from Tsarong enclosing several letters to people on our way. These should be very useful later on. All are in Tibetan, so we have not been able to see yet who they are addressed to.