A Desolate March. 



I struck camp at Kizil Tus early on the morning of the 27th, 

 and marched north-east across the plain, the grass thereon being 

 now withered and dry. Six miles took me into low undulating 

 country, a land of desolation, gravel and sand covered. Some 

 miles beyond this undulating country the track leads into a more 

 enclosed country, occasionally open ravines and again narrow 

 rocky ones devoid of vegetation, with only scant brushwood 

 in places. 



There were reported to be Kazak encampments in the hills 

 to the north, and the two Kazaks with me stated I could reach 

 there in one day but that it would necessitate a long march. 



I continued on all day through a 

 monotonous land comprising 

 bare rock-strewn ravines with 

 intermittent open stretches 

 covered with a meagre showing 

 of coarse grass. 



At 7 o'clock, as we were still 

 apparently a long way from the 

 Kazak encampment and it was 

 already pitch dark, the nights 

 closing now at five, I halted 

 in a rocky ravine and pitched 

 camp. The cold was intense 

 and everything frozen hard, so 

 that the cow dung fire, of which 

 commodity we had brought a certain quantity from the last camp, 

 did not contribute much towards a cheery blaze, though we 

 made the best of it and were passably jolly under the circum- 

 stances. 



I was accompanied by an escort of Mongol soldiers who 

 were responsible for my well-being, and before leaving Kizil 

 Tus in the morning I had despatched Rasul ahead, with two of 

 these worthies and another man, giving him orders to locate the 

 Kazak encampment and hire fresh horses from the Zung, or head 



327 



TWO KAZAKS JOINED ME FROM THE 

 BOROTALA." 



