KORLA TO KUCHA 173 



occasions getting up before midnight, and trying 

 to make up for want of sleep after the march was 

 over. 



On June 3rd we were off again in a gale of 

 wind, and went to Shanko, which in this direction 

 is the end of the Korla oasis. The following- 

 morning, or to be quite exact, late that night, we 

 started for Chachi thirty miles of gravel and 

 sand scattered over with a few bushes. There 

 are two small wells on the way, but they are very 

 small indeed, and not very certain, and after giving 

 the dogs one bucketful of water, we had to wait a 

 long time before we could get another for our ponies. 

 Chachi is not much of a village, but there are some 

 fine willow trees there, under which we found a 

 pleasant, shady place for our camp. 



From here to Mashai, and thence to Yangi 

 Shahr, the road is nearly all through jungle, though 

 on the first of these two marches there is only water 

 in one place a well with a distinct flavour of sulphur 

 about it ; the second march is much better in this 

 respect, and there is a fair-sized village and serai 

 rather less than half-way. In the jungle to the 

 south of Mashai the Yarkand stag is said to be 

 plentiful. 



The result of the system of irrigation followed in 

 these parts is not unfrequently disastrous ; for the 

 whole of the water-supply being used up for the 

 fields, the jungle below them dies out, and the 



