Usually what you'll want to do is put the texture(s) you're using for the model in the same folder as the model itself. If that doesn't work then load the texture using the "LOAD IMAGE" function and then apply the texture to the model using "TEXTURE OBJECT".
Here's a quick example:
load object "media/myModel.3ds",1
load image "media/myModelTexture.jpg",1
texture object 1,1
I'd recommmend using only one texture per model as it can get VERY complicated otherwise, and the above example code will only work with one texture per model. If you're new to 3DS take some time to learn different modelling techniques and UV texture mapping to get things going.