64 CHINESE TURKESTAN 



at all is necessary, it is the custom of the 

 country, and a Chinaman would never dream of 

 giving anything in return ; but we always did so, 

 either in money or kind, and flatter ourselves that 

 we became extremely popular in consequence. 

 The news as to shikar was vague and unsatisfactory, 

 but it appeared that Akjas itself was about shot out, 

 and so the word was still onward. We were much 

 exercised over the waste of time, as everyone 

 agreed that the stags were calling, though some 

 said the rut would last another thirty days, some 

 twenty, some ten. If the latter were correct, it 

 seemed probable that our long and weary journey 

 would be to a great extent wasted as far as wapiti 

 were concerned. It is difficult to say whether the 

 people are wilfully untruthful or whether their incon- 

 sistencies proceed from a constitutional inability to 

 tell the truth ; but no two of them told the same 

 story, nor could any one man succeed in telling the 

 same story twice. 



Next day we did another twenty miles and 

 camped near some aiils, the inhabitants of which 

 provided us with wood, as there was none within 

 two miles. Soon after starting we had to ford the 

 Akjas River, which was rather a job, as it is wide, 

 deep, and rapid. I don't know how they cross it 

 when the snow is melting in the spring, but suppose 

 that then the old plan of waiting for a few cloudy days 

 has to be adopted. The Chinese have at various 



