THE KARLIK TAGH 497 



geography of the Karhk Tagh Mountains and the basin 

 of Barkul, it remained for two other explorers, the 

 brothers Grum Grjimailo (1889-91), to show the 

 nature of the country between the Barkul and the Bogdo- 

 ola groups and of the desert region to the south-east of 

 Kumul. The topography of these regions, as represented 

 on the maps predating their explorations, was mere 

 imagination. These travellers, who were chiefly interested 

 in natural history, were the first to put forward a theory 

 that the Karlik Tagh had certain affinities with the Altai 

 mountain-system, instead of, as expected, with the Tian 

 Shan. They were the first to explore the famous Bogdo- 

 ola Mountains and the Tou-shui plateau, which they 

 crossed and recrossed in several different directions. They 

 also visited Kumul and the southern flanks of the Karlik 

 Tagh, before striking east-south-east into the unknown 

 Gobi. 



In 1887 the first Englishman visited Kumul ; this 

 was Captain (now Sir Francis) Younghusband, who, in 

 the course of a trans-continental journey from Pekin to 

 India, came to the Karlik Tagh from the north-east, 

 having followed the northern Gobi trade-route from 

 Kalgan. He crossed the eastern spurs of the Karlik 

 Tagh from Mogai to Kumul, and, staying there four 

 days, passed on to Turfan and Kashgar. In the same 

 year Colonel Mark Bell reached Kumul from the south 

 and crossed the ranges to Barkul, thus being the only 

 Englishman in advance of us to visit this town. 



The map of the Karlik Tagh region remained un- 

 revised until Kozloff arrived in Kumul, at the termination 

 of extended journeys in Chinese Turkestan and Tibet, 

 accomplished between the years 1893-5. In those days 

 Kozloff was working under the experienced Roborovsky^,.^-^^t ^ 



'- c* ■- i,- /^ 



