Across Thibet - Being a Translation of "De Paris Au Tonkin a Travers Le Tibet Inconnu" #232563

IT used to be the fashion to invoke the muses before one began to write a narra tive, but all that is out of date, and, for my own part, I would simply entreat the cross-grained rheumatics and treacher ous fever to be so kind as to let me keep my word with my publisher, and write him with as little delay as possible the story of a journey which I undertook with great pleasure, and which, as I must frankly admit, it is much less agreeable to put upon paper.