274 THE TSO MOBARI. 



the same strangely intense blue colour so characteristic of 

 all Tibetan lakes when rippled by wind, and as its water is 

 not salt, there is a certain amount of verdure here and there 

 along its margin, and beside the streams that flow into it, 

 which gives a pleasing variety to its otherwise barren 

 scenery. The surrounding mountainous country is desolate 

 to a degree, there not being a human habitation within a 

 radius of at least 40 miles of it, except the miserable little 

 hamlet of Karzok, with its small monastery situated on its 

 western shore. The water, to me, seemed perfectly good, 

 although rather flat, so to speak, to the taste ; but the 

 Tartars have an objection to drinking it. Although there 

 is a large amount of drainage into the lake, there is no 

 visible outlet from it. This is a remarkable fact; and 

 evaporation alone, one would suppose, could hardly account 

 for the disappearance of the constant and abundant supply 

 of water from the great quantity of melted snow draining 

 into it off the neighbouring mountains. 



On our way to Karzok along the shore of the lake, we got 

 numerous shots at wild geese of the bar-headed kind, and 

 as they had young goslings with them, I concluded they 

 bred in the vicinity. Fortunately the strong wind was 

 blowing shorewards, as most of them dropped on the water 

 and we had no dog to retrieve them. The old birds were 

 dreadfully tough, and even our Warren's cooking-pot failed 

 to extract much flavour from them when made into soup ; 

 but the goslings were much more palatable. 



There now only remained about a fortnight before we 

 should have to commence retracing our steps across the 

 Himalayas. This I resolved to devote to a final search for 

 Oves Ammon in the vicinity of the Tso Kar, better known 

 as the Salt Lake, three or four days' journey to the north- 

 west of Karzok. 



Leaving the Major at Karzok, where he preferred to 

 remain shooting wild geese and trying his luck on the 

 ground about the Tso Morari, the second evening found 



