VI. Leh–Karakorum–Khotan (1925)

Nicholas Roerich — Altai-Himalaya

At last one can finally leave all of Kashmir’s falseness and dirt. One can forget half-ruined Srinagar. One can forget the attack made on our caravan by armed bandits. The Moravian mission in Leh has some strange restrictions and informs us of its consent to rent us one of its houses on condition that I sign an agreement to do no “Religious, semi-religious, etc., propaganda.” No one could explain just what meaning the mysterious semi and etc. had. And who could pledge himself not to exceed the incomprehensible limit of semi and etc.? We were able to get along without the headquarters of the mission—in the Palace of the Ladaki King. Only in the mountains does one feel safe. Only in the desert passes ignorance does not reach one.