Across the Roof of the World. 



them I obtained fresh ponies, paying off those who had 

 journeyed with me from the Tzanma. The fresh transport 

 appeared the next morning soon after breakfast, so I travelled 

 down the valley, crossing a side stream four miles out of camp. 

 On the other side three Kashgari merchants were located in a 

 rough log hut they had constructed to serve as a supply store 

 in their barterings with the nomad tribesmen. I stayed there 

 awhile to partake of tea and learnt that horse thieves were at the 

 moment very busy lower down and likely to give trouble. 



I was only five miles from the junction of the Jirgalan with 

 the Tekkes, so went ahead with a Kazak guide who knew a 

 short cut across the hills to the left, and halted at the mouth of 

 the valley waiting for the baggage to come up. As it did not 

 appear by 5 o'clock I rode back some distance and learnt it 

 had gone south. Despite the fact that I had pointed out the 

 route to my Turki man, he was such an inane specimen of man- 

 hood he must in any case go wrong, so nothing was to be done 

 but ride after the caravan, which I did through long grass, 

 across rivers, and amongst dense forests of pines, finally dis- 

 covering it at midnight. I had gathered information as 

 to its whereabouts from Kazaks at an aul I passed, as 

 the man with me candidly confessed he did not know the 

 lie of the land at all. It was a pitch dark night, without 

 moon or stars, so wandering about through forests and rush- 

 ing rivers looking for the caravan was decidedly poor 

 fun. Once we had to get across the little Jirgalan river 

 full of water and to such an extent that it took some 

 time before the horses would face it. Beyond this point 

 the way led by a narrow path through pines of which we 

 were constantly reminded by collision in the darkness. The Kazak 

 now said he thought we might find auls higher up the valley where 

 possibly the caravan would be found, so we pushed on through 

 alternate forest and grassy vales. In places the going was 

 treacherous, over swampy ground, and down steep hillsides where 

 the horses blundered and stumbled in the most alarming manner, 



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