3i6 
THROUGH ASIA 
“Several subsidiary chains branched off from the main 
Sarik-kol range, and their yilgas or side-glens all opened 
towards the lake. The most important were the Kara 
(the Black), Yellang (the Bare), and Khamaldi (the Gusty) 
yilgas. The last-named had its own stream, running into 
a creek ; while the streams from the first two united with 
several other small watercourses, and formed one, which 
again just before reaching the lake divided into two arms 
with a delta between. The sediment brought down by 
these several streams has been deposited in long narrow 
tongues and islets of mud ; and beyond them again lay 
a group of moraine islands. 
“ In the three glens which I have just mentioned there 
was more or less good pasturage ; the yaks, however, have 
to put up with the inferior qualities, as the better grass 
is reserved for the sheep. Here the Naiman Kirghiz of 
Khoat Beg’s aul spend the three coldest winter months. 
Through the Kara-yilga a path leads up to the Sarik-kol 
pass, Kok-ala-chukkur (the Green-Chequered Depths), 
and thence to Lake Rang-kul. It can however only be 
traversed by yaks or by people on foot, and is seldom 
used, except occasionally by Kirghiz going to the Russian 
Pamirs without permission from the Chinese authorities. 
“At four o’clock it again began to rain; and the wind blew 
from the north. We rode back towards the west shore of 
the lake by following the little Kara-yilga stream, which 
was now dry, with the exception of small pools in the 
deeper holes. An hour and a half later we observed a 
most extraordinary phenomenon. A slight rushing sound 
was heard from up the bed of the stream. Then a 
brownish grey wave of water appeared suddenly round 
a bend, and foamed down among the stones, first slowly 
and gradually, filling the deeper parts, and winding 
between the steep excavated banks, along which there 
was a narrow belt of vegetation. This onrush of water 
takes place regularly every evening at this time of the 
year ; it is glacier water from the Sarik-kol chain, which 
only reaches the lake towards evening. 
“On July 25th we broke up camp at Bassyk-kul and 
