START WITH RENEWED SPIRITS 231 



sleet never ceasing the whole day. We were now at 

 an altitude of about 8,200 feet. In the afternoon we 

 caught sight of two men on horseback on the sky-line 

 in front of lis. These men presently came up and 

 informed us that the Zaissan was now in search of us 

 not far away with forty fresh horses and ten men. 

 They also intimated that we were within two days' 

 march of Kosh-Agatch. This news was quite a 

 revelation to us, as the map upon which we relied 

 showed a much greater distance. We intended to try 

 our new ground on the following day, but another 

 snowstorm during the night prevented us from doing 

 so, though we were now very anxious to explore the 

 new country round us, especially as Taba appeared to 

 be so confident. 



We spent the whole of July 22nd waiting for the 

 weather to clear up ; but it was to be another lost day, 

 and fishing in a small lake a couple of miles below 

 camp was our only occupation. Towards evening the 

 weather improved, and next morning, July 23rd, we 

 were awoke at 3 a.m. and started uphill with renewed 

 spirits in different directions, Littledale taking the 

 ground to the west of our camp, whilst I went north- 

 east towards the Siberian frontier. Taba, as usual, 

 accompanied me. He now seemed to know the 

 ground fairly well, and conducted me up the valley 



