ACROSS DZUNGARIA 543 



plain was transformed, became a matter of difficulty ; 

 later on, the great heat and the ferocity of the mos- 

 quitoes reminded one of the tropics. On the third day 

 we found ourselves wandering amongst the sand-dunes 

 which not only surged up to the very edge of the river, 

 but even changed its course, when the winds were 

 sufficiently violent to move the sands. In hollows 

 amongst the dunes were lakes teeming with bird-life, 

 such as ducks, waders, terns, and gulls ; and even here 

 small patches of suitable ground were utilized for corn- 

 growing. 



The scenery of the central plains, although monoton- 

 ous and featureless in itself, was always relieved by the 

 panorama which the giant Tian Shan offered until the 

 northern ranges came into view. From this outlying 

 point could be seen the Celestial Mountains, with an 

 unbroken snow-line of about two hundred miles in 

 length, but to the north there was either nothing, or 

 splendour of colour, as the case might be, whether the 

 day were hazy with loess-laden winds or calm and 

 clear. Mirages often shimmered in the distance with 

 such reality and persistency that one could easily 

 forgive the mistakes, made on even recent maps, which 

 placed an imaginary Ayar Nor lake in a desert we 

 actually passed across and an extensive Kizil-bashi Nor 

 to the north-east, where the only water-surface is the 

 small lake of Telli Nor with a few salt marshes. 



By slow and tedious marches, often losing the track, 

 and experiencing long delays caused by guides who did 

 not appear to know the way to the next village, we 

 finally arrived at an easy ford and crossed over to the 

 western bank of the Manas River. The vagueness of 

 the country ahead of us, and the difficulty of obtaining 



II— 15 



