28 CHINESE TURKESTAN 



the worst pass of the lot, the descent on the north 

 side being particularly long and steep. There are 

 a great many ram chikor (black game) about the 

 top, and Phelps shot three of them, so that we got 

 our substitute for grouse before the i2th. They 

 must nest very early, as even now the old birds 

 were hardly distinguishable from the young. 



There are burhel (Ovis nahura] in the side nul- 

 lahs on the north of the pass, but as a rule the main 

 valley is too much disturbed for them, and we saw 

 none, though I have seen them there on a previous 

 occasion. The hills also hold ibex. From this it is 

 a steady descent all the way to Kilyan, where we 

 arrived on the 6th. The road crosses the river 

 several times, and owing to heavy rain on the 5th 

 the last few fords were just as deep as we could 

 manage ; at one in particular it was more exciting 

 than pleasant to watch all our worldly goods in mid- 

 stream, but with much struggling the ponies got 

 safely through. 



Hitherto we had only met a few wandering 

 shepherds and some merchants on the road, but 

 Kilyan is a town ; it is on a plain at the beginning 

 of the Yarkand plateau, and is not much of a place, 

 though there is a bazaar of sorts. One advantage 

 is that there are not many Chinese there, for their 

 curiosity makes them a nuisance at any time, and 

 only fear of the consequences prevents their being 

 actually uncivil ; on this occasion no more than two 



