Across the Roof of the World. 



It was nearly noon before I got away, and after travelling a 

 few miles the guide informed me he wished to return to his aul, 

 as he was not acquainted with the topography of the country. 

 This was nothing more than I had expected, but was determined 

 he should not leave me in the lurch, so compelled him to come 

 on and I marched till 6 o'clock when I camped in a sheltered 

 dip in the hills. Soon after snow began to fall, so, making a 

 square of the kit, we collected all the cow dung fuel avail- 

 able and proceeded to ignite it, not at all a cheerful pastime, 

 as a strong wind was in full swing, and this, coupled with the 

 falling snow and the low temperature, made it difficult to get 

 the fire started. If one really wishes to taste of the sweets of hfe 

 one should try lighting a cow dung fire in a snowstorm. It is a 

 most exhilarating pastime, how exhilarating only the initiated 

 know ! 



It continued snowing steadily throughout the night, and 

 when I awoke next morning there were several inches on the 

 ground. The Kazak guide had decamped and got clear away, 

 which he must have done some hours previously, for there was no 

 trace of his horse's tracks in the snow. It was foolish of him not 

 to play straight with me, as it would have been entirel}' to his 

 advantage, and I should have rewarded him handsomely for his 

 trouble in piloting me through this hopeless land. But, of course, 

 he was a Kazak, and one could not expect anything better from 

 a representative of this race. I had thought to have seen the 

 last of the Kazaks in the Thian Shan as they are a very un- 

 desirable tribe, and though I saw and came a great deal in 

 contact with them during my shoot in Hi and the Tekkes Valley 

 I did not note many redeeming features in their characters. 



We had considerable difficulty that morning, the first day of 

 December, in loading up the baggage, as the ropes were all frozen 

 solid and our hands were so numbed with the cold that it was 

 consequently a long drawn out operation. 



Soon after I had started Rasul appeared in the distance 

 and in a few minutes came up saying he had been searching 



332 



