AT THE END OF THE BEATEN TRACK. 35 



We went about fourteen miles down the valley 

 to where a tributary nullah joined from the north- 

 west. This, we concluded, from information given 

 us by the Kirghiz at the last camp, was the spot 

 where we should leave the main road ; so we sat 

 down and waited for the caravan. Baratbai soon 

 came up, said we were right, and that, though he 

 had never been by the road, he had a general 

 idea of it. He knew we could get to Kugiar 

 this way, and after that he knew all the roads 

 in the Sirikul well, having been born and bred 

 there. This latter I found to be a very respect- 

 able lie, for he was born a Kunjuti, and sold as 

 a slave to a Sirikuli by his parents when they 

 were hard up ! Two miles up this valley was 

 a fair bit of grass for the ponies, so we camped 

 there. 



In this country the three necessaries of camp- 

 life are generally found together viz., grass, 

 water, and fuel ; for unless there is a stream or 

 spring there is no grass, and where there is grass 

 ponies or yaks have left their traces in the way of 

 dung, which soon dries and furnishes fuel. This, 

 together with burtsa a sort of wild lavender or 

 wormwood plant with a woodeny root, which 

 contains a certain amount of oil, and burns freely 



