SHAH YAR. 199 



There being no inducement to remain here 

 longer, I decided to return to Shah Yar by the 

 way I came, and try and catch Bower, if he had 

 not already returned to Kashgar. However, on 

 getting to Shah Yar I found he had left three 

 days previously. After an unsuccessful trip for 

 stags in the direction of Lobnor, I determined to 

 follow, thinking I should find him camped some- 

 where on my old ground across the river ; but on 

 making inquiry, I heard that the ice on the river 

 had begun to break up, and that Bower had just 

 got over by the skin of his teeth. So there was 

 nothing for it but to travel back on the left bank, 

 and look for stags in the jungles on this side. 



Having secured a guide, we started on the I4th 

 of March. It was always the same sandy sort of 

 desert country, covered at intervals with open 

 tamarisk jungle. There were frequent tracks of 

 jeran antelope, but no traces of maral. 



Crossing a water-channel, a tributary of the 

 Tarim river, we camped in a belt of timber, and 

 here I found a collection of the curious dug-out 

 dwellings of the country. Near them was a camp 

 of inhabitants, who were shepherds, and who 

 brought me little offerings of their flocks milk, 

 &c. in return for which they were made quite 



