370 UNKNOWN MONGOLIA 



With this difficulty of procuring transport we gained 

 our first experience of the independence of the Kirghiz. 

 We were bluffed at each renewed demand for transport, 

 by such absurd statements as, "the passes are closed," 

 "we have no horses," "the Mongols had better take 

 you on farther." Two whole days were thus spent in 

 haggling with the wealthy owners of innumerable herds 

 of horses, all of whom did their best to evade their 

 duty to us as strangers travelling through their country, 

 before we enforced our demands. I allude to this in 

 order to draw attention to the different points of view 

 that existed between the Mongol and the Kirghiz : the 

 former considered himself our vassal, the latter con- 

 sidered himself our equal. 



We were now forced to provision both ourselves and 

 our caravan for the crossing of an uninhabited area, 

 which included also the passage of the Great Altai. 

 Since the Kirei had now deserted the highlands, this 

 meant a journey of five days' duration before reaching 

 the settlements on the lower foot-hills of the Dzungarian 

 side of the range. We therefore purchased sheep, for 

 food, and, with the Kirei men and horses in place of the 

 Mongols, we recommenced our travels. 



On September 17th we visited Dolto Nor, the lowest 

 of the group of lakes which form the sources of the 

 Kobdo River, the main caravan being led up to Dain 

 Kul, by the direct route to the Urkhogaitu Pass over the 

 Altai Range. The country surrounding these lakes 

 forms the main summer resort of the Khan of the Kirei 

 and his section of the tribe. Situated at an altitude of 

 7,000 ft. immediately below the forest-belt on the moun- 

 tains which rise directly to the south-west, this plateau 

 supplies excellent summer pastures for innumerable 



