CHINESE TURKESTAN 



Here we stopped a day a welcome rest and 

 camped under some fine old trees round a mazar 

 (saint's tomb) well aw r ay from the town. One of 

 these trees was a very fine acacia ; it was 25 feet in 

 circumference three feet from the ground, and the 

 people said that it was a survivor of the jungle 

 which grew there before Korla existed, which 

 should make its age out to be pretty considerable. 

 I bought a saddle pony here from a Kalmak for 

 thirty-nine seers (Rs. 78), rather a high price, but 

 as he turned out a good one he was worth it. 



KORLA TO KUCHA 



Marches. 



1. Korla to Shanko . 9 miles. 



2. Shanko to Chachi . . . 30 



3. Chachi to Mashai . . 20 ,, 



4. Mashai to Yangi Shahr . . 25 ,, 



5. Yangi Shahr to Burgu . . 20 



6. Burgu to Arbat . . . 23 



7. Arbat to Yakka . . 28 



8. Yakka to Kucha . . .18,, 



Total 173 



We hired two carts from Korla to Kucha at the 

 not excessive rate of eight seers each. They each 

 had two horses, and between them took nearly all 

 our belongings ; so that we were able to give our 

 jaded baggage-ponies a rest, for the heat and in- 

 cessant marching were beginning to tell upon them. 

 We also took to making early starts, on one or two 



