ко ко- АО R. 139 



CHAPTER V. 



KOKO-NOR AND TSAIDAM. 



The lake — Colour of its waters — Island and temple — Fish — Legendary 

 origin of lake — Its shores — Birds — Animals — The Kulan or wild 

 ass — Eleuth Mongols — Low standard of civilisation — Kara-Tan- 

 gutans — Their predatory habits — Mongol tradition concerning 

 them — Administrative divisions of Koko-nor — We buy fresh camels 

 — Tibetan envoy — Favourable opportunity of reaching Lhassa lost 

 — We determine to advance — Guides — Temple of Kumbum and 

 its sacred tree — Tibetan medicine — Route along shore of lake — 

 Ponhain-gol — Hue's account of river inaccurate — Southern Koko- 

 nor range — Djaratai-dabas salt basin — Princess of Koko-nor — 

 The Tsing-hai-wang — Our reception — My reputation as saint, 

 prophet, and physician — Baiimsteitismus, a universal panacea — 

 Mongol ailments — Plain of Tsaidam — The Baian-gol — Saline 

 vegetation — Karmyk berries — Scarcity of animal life — Inhabitants 

 — Lake Lob — Wild camels and wild horses — Autumn on Koko-nor 

 — Clear atmosphere — Cultivated land — Crossing the marshes — 

 Tsung-zasak— Mongol guide ' Chutun dzamba.' 



Lake Koko-nor, called Tsok-gumbum by the Tan- 

 gutans, and Tsing-hai ^ by the Chinese, lies to the 

 west of Si-ning, at a height of 10,500 feet above the 

 level of the sea. In shape it is an ellipse with its 

 longer axis running from east to west. It is from 



1 The Mongolian name signifies 'light blue'— the Chinese ' dark 

 blue.' We could not ascertain the exact meaning of the Tangutan 

 name. The inhabitants of the region, and in general the Southern 

 Mongols, call it Khoko-nor, i.e. softening the к into kh. 



[The Tangutan, i.e. the Tibetan name of the lake is properly Tso- 

 ngonbo, as written by Delia Penna, or Tsoi-Ngon-po, as written by 

 Hue, meaning just the same as the Mongol and Chinese, viz., ' Blue 

 Lake.'— Y.] 



