Organising a Search Party. 



indeed of the type met with in Europe, but yet one that could 

 give forth melodious music when manipulated by a master hand. 

 Along the sides of the yurt were bowls hollowed out of wood, 

 forming the eating and drinking utensils of the owners, while part 

 was curtained off, serving the double purpose of a place of repose 

 for the lady of the yurt, and pantr}^ which contained bowls of 

 milk and cream covered with dirt and dust, always a strong 

 feature in the nomad's dwelling. I enquired as to the country 

 I had now to traverse, and the information gathered indicated 

 it as being of a formidable nature, but I was not perturbed, 

 having already covered much ground beset with many 

 difficulties. 



The Kirghiz here were greatly interested in my adventures down 

 the Hi Su and on the Qotchkor Pass, parts of the universe they 

 had never visited, and I doubt if they ever will, especially after 

 my description. The loss of the yak seemed to be a serious 

 calamity in their eyes, for the docile creature represents much 

 worldly wealth to them, the mere fact of my having lost an 

 important kit not appearing to be anything like so disastrous 

 as the loss of its hairy carrier. 



At dawn the next morning the Kirghiz reinforcements had 

 not arrived, but at 6 o'clock Piro and the yakmen came in. 

 They had spent the night at the foot of the pass amongst the 

 rocks and boulders, having found it impossible to make any head- 

 way in the darkness, while in addition men and animals were 

 tired out from the hardest day's work they had ever experienced. 

 Soon after their arrival, as the Kirghiz had still not put in an 

 appearance, I collected all available hands and, leaving only 

 Piro and his party in camp, set out for the pass. It took us five 

 hours to get there over a road which would have made the 

 patient Job weep tears of grief and sorrow. Arrived at the foot 

 of the glacier we had encountered on our way down the previous 

 night, I marshalled the party into line with the object of working 

 up hill and thoroughly searching the slope. Fortunately it was 

 a fine day with another of those cloudless skies, prominent in 



105 



