THE LAND OF UNREST 393 



by renting land at an exorbitant price from the chiefs, 

 who were said to extort from them 50 per cent, of their 

 produce. The upper portion of the valley belongs to 

 the " Kho-ching " section of the Charkhars, who were 

 the original settlers, while the " Chi-ning " occupy the 

 lower portion and the district of Sairam Nor. 



We noted the superior type of the Charkhars, in 

 comparison with the Torguts. They were almost clean- 

 looking, possessed some fine yurts, and appeared to be 

 well-to-do. We were again struck by the paradoxical 

 condition of a people having the appearance of being 

 at a standstill in a magnificent and pregnant land. There 

 is land to waste in the Borotala ; it would hold a far 

 denser nomadic population, not to mention an agricul- 

 tural one ; the Chinese protection of the Mongol rights 

 of ownership alone hinder the Kasaks and the Chantos 

 from overrunning it. Yet, in spite of every advant- 

 age, the Charkhars do not appear to increase. 



From this it will be seen that the nomadic population 

 is chiefly concentrated on the border-ranges of Dzungaria. 

 In the far east — on the slopes of the Altai — are the Tor- 

 guts, in the north-east — the Kirei, on the northern 

 border-ranges — the Torguts and Western Kirei, in the 

 west — the Charkhars, while on the southern side is a 

 sprinkling of Torguts and Kirghiz. The central plains, 

 except along the course of the Manas River, are practically 

 uninhabited. 



There now remains to be described the zone of 

 country between the spurs of the Tian Shan and the 

 deserts ; the area where much water from the snow-clad 

 mountains makes irrigation-methods practicable, seden- 

 tary life an advantage, and, consequently, the build- 

 ing of towns a necessity. The inhabitants of this 



