KHOTAN TO LEH 193 



big and hospitable beg. At two places on the way 

 fires had been lit and tea prepared to refresh us ; 

 while here also, at the selected camping-ground, 

 elaborate preparations had been made for our 

 reception, and most of the inhabitants, attired in 

 their best clothes, had assembled to receive us. 



Here at last we got clear of the mosquito country, 

 and put our curtains away for good ; but, in justice 

 to these pestilent insects, I must confess that they 

 did not annoy us much after we left Khotan. 



From this on the road was too rough for night 

 travel, and the heat was no longer so great as to 

 render it necessary ; so we took to the old early 

 morning starts again, and stayed a day at Poshki to 

 make the change. 



On the 25th we were off again, and did twenty- 

 three miles of the rather stony valley road to 

 Cheribaldi Mazar, a halting-place, where there is 

 fair grass. The scenery among these foot-hills is 

 not at all attractive, as they rather resemble 

 exaggerated sand-hills, on which there is only a 

 little coarse bent grass, a scrubby little shrub of the 

 boortza variety, and a few stunted willows on the 

 banks of the streams. Further into the hills, where 

 they are higher and rocky, there are both ibex and 

 burhel, but down here there is nothing ; it looks 

 perfect ground for shapu (Ovis vignei), only there is 

 nothing of the sort there. 



Next morning, with many thanks for all his 

 o 



