Across the Roof of the World. 



The following morning the ponies arrived, and I spent the 

 remainder of the day preparing loads and overhauling my outfit. 

 On the morning of Tuesday, August 3rd, I started across the 

 plains to the north-east. It was an easy march, over undulating 

 ground thickly carpeted with luxuriant grass. 



The famous Russian explorer Prejevalski states that the 

 name Yulduz, signifying " star," was perhaps bestowed on the 

 country on account of its altitude, or from the fact of its being 

 the promised land of cattle. According to this authority it may 

 have been at some distant period in the earth's history the bed 

 of an inland sea, and its alluvial clay soil goes far to support 

 this theory. 



Twelve miles out of camp I reached the opening in the 

 northern range leading to the Khanpur Pass. The crest of this 

 range marks the dividing line between the valley of the Yulduz 

 and that of the Tzanma, the latter a broad valley through which 

 the Tzanma River flows. 



Leaving the plains of the Yulduz, I entered the nullah over 

 grass-grown ridges, whence the track winds along the slopes on 

 the right bank, the going everywhere being easy and presenting 

 no difficulties to the baggage animals. 



A mile up the narrow valley I turned east, passing round the 

 southern end of a lake of clear blue water, which the Kalmuks 

 informed me was of inimitable depth. Its extent was about 

 800 yards long by 300 broad, the banks sloping away pre- 

 cipitously from the water's edge, and giving every appearance 

 of great depth as the Kalmuks had intimated. There are no 

 outlets to the lake, but at its northern end it was fed by a stream 

 flowing down from the snows above, not, however, in any great 

 quantity. The water is slightly brackish, but not more so than 

 that of the Sairam and Ebi Nor Lakes I afterwards visited to the 

 north of Kulja. 



I skirted the eastern shore and then turned north across 

 grassy slopes to within a quarter of a mile of the summit, where 

 the going is over rocks and stones to the crest line, then free from 



186 



