CHAPTER XXL 



Across the Black Irtish Vallf.y to the Great Altai 

 Mountains. 



The Kesil Bach Lake is the largest in Western Mongoha and 

 situated south of the Altai. Its length is about sixty miles 

 and the width averages twenty. Its western shores are fiat and 

 lead on to the broad open valley I had passed through. The 

 pasturage is limited, the country for the most part being barren 

 and sterile, with a meagre crop of grass, insufficient for the needs 

 of the nomad's flocks, who consequently frequent the region of 

 the Black Irtish Valley and the land to the north thereof, where 

 they have greater facilities for the support of their large herds. 



After viewing the lake, noting its western and south-western 

 shores, and taking some photographs, I pushed on through the 

 hills to the north, to reach which I crossed the wide valley, here 

 covered with low stunted scrub, the soil being sand and gravel, 

 but in the hills giving place to a rock and sterile deposit. The 

 country to the north of these hills leads to the Black Irtish 

 Valley, though the river itself is not encountered for a good thirty 

 miles further north, but the natives term the country " Irtish," 

 in much the same way as the nomads of the Tekkes, Jirgalan 

 and Kunges Valleys, refer to that region under the general 

 name of Ih. 



It was severe trekking that day and told heavily on the 

 ponies, as the plateaux are covered with deep soft snow, through 

 which the going is exceedingly laborious and trying. North of 

 the Kesil Bach Lake it is an up and down country, through 

 many little dips in the hills, which proved hard work for the 

 ponies, so much so that long before I camped that night two 

 of them were quite done up and unable to proceed further. 



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