UP THE ALAI VALLEY 
H3 
Gradually as we advanced the surface became more 
uneven. We entered amongst the low foot-hills of the 
Trans -Alai range, leaving the pass of Talldik behind 
us on the north. The snows grew deeper and deeper. 
After marching ten hours we decided to halt, although 
the region around was desolate in the extreme — not a 
blade, not a living creature to be seen. The men cleared 
the snow away from the side of a low hill, and there 
stacked the baggage for the night. The camels that 
were bringing the yurt from Jipptik lagged behind on 
the road, and we had to wait a full hour till they came 
up. In the meantime we kindled a fire, and gathered 
CROS.SING THE KIZIL-SU (A SECOND VIEW) 
round it close together in a circle, and tried to warm our 
frozen limbs with tea. There were forty-seven degrees of 
frost Fahr. (-26° C.), and the least touch made the snow 
crackle like parchment. I did not get under the shelter 
of the tent until late that night. 
I have already said that the governor of Fergana had 
sent orders to the Kirghiz to have a tent and fuel prepared 
for us at each stage of our journey against the day fixed 
for our arrival. The reason there was no tent ready for 
us when we reached Urtak, as this particular place was 
called, was due to the following untoward circumstances. 
Khoja Min Bashi, volastnoi (district chief) of Utch-teppe, 
which belongs to the administrative district of Osh, had 
