44 JOURNEY TO THE PAMIRS. 



camp, which we found about a mile and a half 

 down the nullah. It consisted of two or three 

 big yurts, and some long sort of pall tents for 

 the Cossacks. Dogpa (Dauvergne's servant) 

 show r ed the yurt of the commanding officer of the 

 expedition, Colonel Pieutrow, who, with three 

 other officers and twenty-five Cossacks, was carry- 

 ing on General Prejvalski's explorations towards 

 Tibet. They had been camped there some time 

 feeding up the camels, which they had brought with 

 them from Russian Turkistan, and when ready 

 intended to proceed via Khotan towards Polo. 



The colonel was very civil, and taking us into 

 the mess-jyz/r/, which was very comfortable, we 

 squatted down on the mundas (felt carpet) and 

 partook of the conventional glass of tea and a 

 cigar. He and one other officer spoke French, 

 so we got on all right. They asked us to stay 

 and sup with them ; but we excused ourselves, 

 being some distance from our camp, and having 

 had a pretty hard day of it. In course of con- 

 versation it transpired that they had crossed the 

 Tian Shan mountains by the Bedal Pass, and 

 proceeded via Ushturfan to the Zarafshan river, 

 which they struck somewhere about Tumchuk, 

 and then followed the river-bank to Yarkand. 



