188 EXPEDITION TO KALMUK. 



was but a poor little grey thing, about 4 inches 

 long ! The envoy was better looking than most 

 Chinamen, and also was dressed in his Sunday's 

 best. They were accompanied by another Chinese 

 official, and all the Aksakals and head merchants 

 of the place, quite a crowd. The envoy, who 

 was a colonel in the Chinese army, brought me 

 an invitation from the Dotai to visit Karashar ; 

 but I excused myself, returning my thanks to his 

 highness, and trusting to have that honour later, 

 but that now I was anxious to push on to my 

 hunting-grounds. The usual passport business 

 was gone through, and after an hour's talk my 

 visitors departed, and having secured a guide, 

 I prepared for an early start. 



Following the river for some distance, we 

 entered a narrow gorge cut by the stream 

 through a rocky spur of the Tian Shan range, 

 which after about four miles brought us to a 

 karaol or custom-house at the head of the defile, 

 and then emerged on to the plain through which 

 the river flows from Kashgar : then, turning 

 north-north-west, we crossed some ridges of low 

 hills overlooking a flat plain, surrounded on two 

 sides by high mountain-ranges, which the guide 

 said was the Kalmuk country. We travelled 



