276 A BLANKET CITY. 



valley, surrounded by arid brown hills, the Tso Kar is, I 

 think, the least interesting, as far as appearance goes, of 

 any of the larger lakes of this part of Tibet ; and to in- 

 crease its dreary aspect, the shore, for some distance from 

 its crooked margin, is covered with a white saline efflor- 

 escence, from which a most abominable glare is reflected. 

 It is curious that, in the same valley, and only about a 

 mile or so from this salt lake, there is a smaller sheet of 

 fresh water, bordered to a certain extent with green turf, 

 presenting a remarkable contrast to its salt neighbour. On 

 the fresh-water lake numbers of wild-fowl congregate, afford- 

 ing some sport for a shot-gun. The mountains in the vicinity 

 hold both Oves Ammon and napoo, and the valley, I believe, 

 a few goa, if one has the luck to find them there. 



After a gentle descent for some distance, a strange scene 

 suddenly presented itself. Instead of a small encampment, 

 as I had expected to find, there appeared a perfect city of 

 black blanket-tents, pitched 011 either side of a rivulet that 

 flowed through a long, narrow, comparatively low-lying 

 valley, the bottom of which was carpeted with bright 

 greensward. There must have been considerably over a 

 hundred tents. It seemed as though the whole nomadic 

 population of Eookshu were collected on this meadow-like 

 spot. Vast herds of sheep, goats, and yaks were scattered 

 over the neighbouring heights, where the wild yodling kind 

 of hulloo of the Tartar herdsmen and the barking of their 

 dogs was heard on every side. 



This did not look much like a locality near which to 

 find such wary game as Oves Ammon, and I could not but 

 feel that I had been regularly humbugged by the Karzok 

 men. Of one fact I was now more than ever convinced, 

 that as a rule, to which there may be occasional excep- 

 tions, the sportsman, in this part of Tibet at any rate, 

 must undergo the vexations and disappointments of a first 

 season's personal experience in that country to ensure success 

 on a second visit. 



