KULDJA TO URUMTSI 151 



After leaving the Sairam Nor tasin there is a 

 gradual descent all the way to ?Mai, the country 

 being gravel and rock, barren, and nearly waterless, 

 a marked contrast to the Hi side of the range. The 

 snow was all gone except in one or two sheltered 

 places, and the rainfall is probably small. There 

 are a lot of gazelle about, but the ground is so abso- 

 lutely open that it is almost impossible to get any- 

 where near them, the few scattered salt bushes 

 giving insufficient cover for stalking, and I should 

 think there is no danger of their extinction, in spite 

 of the breechloading rifles ; in fact, they seem to be 

 even in advance of the times, and to have an ex- 

 aggerated idea of the capabilities of the modern 

 small bore, if one may judge from their extreme 

 shyness. In Turki they are called jeron ; in 

 Chinese, hwang yang, or yellow sheep. They 

 seem to be a near relation of Gazella subguttiirosa, 

 but are much more yellow, and have white faces. 

 They are found all along the range on the plain 

 at the foot of the hills. 



There is no mistake about the wind in this part 

 of the world ; it can blow, and by all accounts very 

 frequently does so. The night we were at Utai we 

 pitched our tents, as the serai was even dirtier than 

 usual. The wind began to rise in the evening, so 

 as a precautionary measure we got our small tents 

 ready and weighted them down heavily with stones. 

 About seven o'clock the real storm (locally called 



