6o4 DZUNGARIA 



their horns, these sheep were 0. karelini, which had 

 been driven down from the high plateaux to the south by 

 the rigours of the winter. On the following day, while 

 driving along the main road, we saw a herd right down 

 on the plain at the foot of the hills, and certainly not 

 more than i,ooo ft. above sea-level. I should imagine 

 that there must be some magnificent sheep-ground 

 somewhere among the confused mass of mountains at 

 the head of the Manas River, close to the Yulduz divide. 



It was in Guchen that we next came in touch with 

 the kulon. A wild-looking, bow-legged Kirghiz was 

 seen hobbling through the bazaar with the skin of a 

 freshly killed kulon over his shoulder. He informed us 

 that he came from the kum (sand), to the north, and 

 that kulon were very numerous there. As we were 

 anxious to visit this sand-dune area, we seized the oppor- 

 tunity of killing two birds with one stone, and on the 

 following morning started off in a north-easterly direction, 

 with this Kirghiz as our guide. Two long days in the 

 saddle brought us to his aoul situated on the edge of 

 the sand, among tall saxaul scrub. So easy is it to 

 lose one's way in the maze of sand-dunes that even the 

 nomads, who are past masters in the art, or, more 

 correctly, instinct, of finding their way, have to build 

 cairns of brushwood to mark the position of their camps. 



There certainly were fair numbers of kulon about, 

 but, as they stuck to the flat, hard country, away from 

 the sand, a near approach was quite out of the question. 

 I have vivid recollections of wrigghng along serpent-wise, 

 with my sleeves and pockets full of snow, trying to keep 

 concealed behind a bush held in front. Five hundred 

 yards was as near as I ever got, but it was only thanks 

 to their curiosity ; they saw through my feeble attempt 



