CHAPTER XII. 

 URUMTSI TO KUCHA 



ON May ist, 1900, we started again in quest of the 

 sheep, and did some twenty-seven miles to Sansing 

 or Tsin-lung-kung. Most places about here have 

 three names, Chinese, Turki, and Kalmak, which is 

 apt to be a little confusing. This place is a bit 

 north-east of the main Turfan road, and the way to 

 it is across a monotonous gravel plain, where there 

 are a few hwang yang, wilder even than usual 

 Here we had to wait a day, as some camels which 

 were carrying grain for us did not get in. We got 

 two local shikaris, who seemed fairly knowledgable 

 one a Kalmak, the other an old gentleman of 

 unknown race, who was quite bald, so his hair 

 afforded no clue, and I forgot to ask him. On the 

 3rd we went on up the Ta-song-kou valley, a pretty 

 park-like country, grassy, and dotted with pine 

 trees, where marmots simply swarmed and whistled 

 at us in their customary manner. We only did 

 about ten miles, and camped on the edge of some 

 grass-covered downs. In the afternoon there was a 

 thunderstorm and a heavy downpour of rain. 



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