If, on the other hand, it is merely an invention of Lake’s to while away monotonous evenings during his explorations in unknown Central Asia, where he certainly is, then I hope that his readers will find it as interesting and realistic as I and others here have done. “GANPAT” STAFF COLLEGE QUETTA, BALUCHISTAN _1st January, 1923_ CONTENTS FOREWORD ix I. I MEET WREXHAM AND FORSYTH 3 II. OLD JOHN WREXHAM’S DIARY 13 III. WREXHAM’S STORY 22 IV. THE GREAT DECISION 33 V. THE JUMPING-OFF LINE 40 VI. THE DESERT 50 VII. THE DISTANT HILLS 64 VIII. THE GATE 76 IX. A LADY JOINS US 90 X. BELOW THE CLIFFS 110 XI. THE CAVES 124 XII. ARYENIS’S PEOPLE 137 XIII. WE JOIN WITH KYRLOS 147 XIV. WE VISIT THE BORDER 157 XV. WE SPEAK WITH AN ENVOY AND RIDE TO AORNOS 170 XVI. ARYENIS AND I VISIT PAULOS 190 XVII. ARYENIS’S HOME-COMING 205 XVIII. A SHAMAN RAID 220 XIX. PAULOS DOES SOME THOUGHT-READING 234 XX. I MAKE A BET WITH ARYENIS 251 XXI. I AM GIVEN A FOLLOWING 262 XXII. THE ASTARA DEFILE 273 XXIII. I PRETEND TO UNDERSTAND ARYENIS 286 XXIV. I WIN MY BET 300 XXV. SHAMANTOWN 310 XXVI. THE GATE AGAIN 322 XXVII. ARYENIS AND I FIND SOME THINGS THAT MATTER 331 HARILEK HARILEK CHAPTER I I MEET WREXHAM AND FORSYTH Most of the big things in life hinge on very small beginnings. I wonder if the people who pose as pure materialists ever reflect on that fact when they hold forth on their complete and absolute certainty that there is no guiding hand in men’s affairs or in the conception, creation, and control of that most wonderfully intricate piece of machinery, the universe. Missing a train, accepting an invitation, having a dance cut, all may prove the turning-point in a life if you take the trouble to trace things back to their beginnings.