KUCHA TO KHOTAN 179 



watercourse. It was a very dark night, and the 

 guides managed to lose their way once, but luckily 

 soon found the path again. Near our camp there 

 were a few trees, and a considerable extent of 

 abandoned cultivation, the only inhabitants now 

 being a few wandering shepherds. We were told 

 that some thirty years ago the water changed its 

 course, leaving the old channel dry, whereupon, 

 of course, all cultivation ceased, but no one seemed 

 to know the reason of the change, and it had 

 not occurred to anyone to go up stream and find 

 out. 



The next two days, or rather evenings, we only 

 did ten and sixteen miles, having to camp in certain 

 places for grass and water. We were now following 

 the old channel, certain holes in which provided us 

 with plenty of water ; but it was both salt and dirty, 

 so that, in spite of the heat, there was no temptation 

 to drink much of it, even in the form of tea. Here 

 we met a local shikari who was in the employ of 

 the Aksu amban, and had been sent out to try and 

 get a stag ; he said there were not many about, and 

 had so far been unsuccessful, but there was plenty 

 of time left to get one before their horns got 

 too hard. 



On the 24th we began to get among trees ; but 

 they are having a hard fight with the sand, and 

 about here appear to be getting the worst of it. Up 

 till now we had been heading nearly due west, but 



