Item 22 - Letter from George to Ruth Mallory, 26 July 1922

Letter to Ruth Mallory, from ‘Chevremont, Darjeeling [Letterhead]’

Brief Summary
Somervell and Crawford were to stay in the Lhonak Valley for 2 weeks. Describes his onward journey without them. Morshead was mainly recovered and his fingers and toes were recovering.

Detailed Sumary
Is concerned about the mail and missing letters from her. What was more serious was letters sent off by him from Kampa Dzong - evidently hadn't got through. Correspondence seemed a hopeless business. He would be later than previously discussed and so should meet in London. It would be best to meet at the docks but doesn't want her to wait for hours.

Describes his journey since he had left Somervell and Crawford in the Lhonak Valley in the north of Sikkim. As she hadn't received some of his letters she might not know the three of them came through the short way from Kharta together leaving the others to come round by Shekar Dzong and Phari, etc. Their way was the same as his and Bullocks the previous year. Could she follow the route on her map? It was difficult to get the Tibetans to go that way and they had to go to Kampa Dzong for transport and waste a day there.

A land slip had rendered the pass down to Laachen unusable and it had fallen out of use until the jungle had covered it over. He believed a bridge had broken too. The others were to spend a fortnight or so in the upper part of the valley, so he made the march eastward to Tango. He started with two yaks and ended about midnight with one. He stayed 3 nights at Tango collecting his baggage from the Lhonuk La and then came through without delay, though in the last stages he had to leave his kit and it arrived a day after him. Sikkim was much less wet than expected. His memories of Sikkim were chiefly of rushing swollen streams and leaches.

Morshead was well and cheery and his left hand had practically recovered. Three fingers at the right were still bound up. One big toe still gave him trouble but was healing up well.

He wouldn't write more now as he had several jobs to do. Hopes they wouldn't be quite ruined by the time he reached home as attractions in the shops were irresistible. Apart from a large bag he had hardly touched the £200 to his credit with the bank there.