8 VALLEY OF YELLOW RIVER. 



the western side of the Kara-narin-ula. At length, 

 after satisfying ourselves that this range does not 

 throw out lateral spurs into the centre of the plateau, 

 which it borders, we crossed to the other side by 

 the defile of the river Ugyn-gol, and on November 

 nth descended into the valley of the Yellow River. 

 Here we passed suddenly from winter into mild 

 autumnal weather, such as we had left behind us in 

 Ala-shan. Not a particle of snow lay on the ground, 

 and the thermometer, which on the uplands stood 

 below zero at noon, now often rose above the freez- 

 ing point. This change in the temperature occurred 

 in an extent of only thirteen miles of country covered 

 by the border range. 



Winter, however, soon began to make itself felt 

 also in the valley of the Hoang-ho. The w^ater was 

 covered with ice, and the morning frosts rapidly 

 increased in intensity. The mercury fell to —26'd'^ 

 Cent. ( — 14° Fahr.) at sunrise, but during the day 

 it was warm, especially in calm weather ; the sky 

 was almost always clear. 



We saw no inhabitants on the western side of 

 the Kara-narin-ula. All the Mongols had fled to 

 the valley of the Hoang-ho, alarmed at the appear- 

 ance of a small band of brigands who came from the 

 environs of Lake Koko-nor. Such incursions were 

 not unfrequent in those parts of Mongolia which lay 

 on the borders of the districts disturbed by the 

 Dungan rebellion. The bands of robbers which con- 

 tinually made their appearance in these districts were 

 composfid of all kinds of vagabonds armed with 



