THE NUBRA VALLEY. 31 



day, where the apricots kept tumbling down 

 asking to be eaten. At Taghar we camped in one 

 similar. These oases, for you can call them 

 nothing else, are numerous in the Nubra valley, 

 which is very well cultivated, the people making 

 good use of their short summer ; and besides 

 such fruit as apples and apricots, the land pro- 

 duces good crops of grain, bearded wheat and 

 barley, and lucerne-grass : the latter is much 

 affected by the Yarkandi caravan-ponies when 

 they come in from their starvation journey from 

 Turkistan. The only drawback to camping in 

 these charming little orchards is that, unless you 

 are very careful in taking precautions, there is 

 always a chance of having your tent and kit 

 swamped, as the streams which irrigate them 

 come from the hills above, and being fed by 

 snow, always increase towards evening. 



At Panamikh we determined to halt for a day 

 to give our ponies a final good feed, and lay in 

 our stock of grain and flour, this being the last 

 village where supplies can be procured on the 

 Yarkand road, and nothing can be got in the 

 way of grain until Shahidula, a sort of half- 

 way house, where a certain Pathan called Ian 

 Mahomed sets up his camp in the caravan 



