39 ° 
THROUGH ASIA 
bottom of which was covered with fine yellow drift-sand ; 
while over the slopes on either side it assumed the form 
of well-shaped dunes. The sand was brought thither 
by the west and south-west winds, the winds which 
nearly always prevail in the Pamirs. But . as they 
are unable to surmount the plateau-rim of the Sarik-kol 
Mountains, they drop their sand in the valley and heap 
it up along the foot of the mountains. As the tract is 
entirely destitute of water, it is uninhabited in summer; but 
the Kirghiz visit it during those winters in which there 
is a sufficient fall of snow to provide them with water. 
We only saw water at one spot, Sarik-bulak (the Yellow 
Spring), where a tiny spring bubbled up out of the ground, 
affording nouri.shment to verdure of a fairly good quality. 
In that place we rested from ten o’clock to one p.m. 
Towards evening we emerged upon the broad plains of 
Kosh-aghil, plains as hard and as level as a pavement. 
'I'he vegetation consisted of nothing but scattered teresken 
bushes, which in the gleam of the setting sun cast their 
shadows a long way across the ground. Our route led 
through the characteristic landscape of the Pamirs — broad, 
level, waterless valleys, bounded by low mountain-chains, 
rounded and greatly worn. 
We reached the Murghab at dusk, now in the season of 
the summer floods swollen to a majestic river. We en- 
camped on a little patch of meadow on the right bank, 
and spent the night in the open air. 
One word more about my faithful Yolldash. He ac- 
companied me again on this journey across the Pamirs. 
The hardest day’s travel never drew from him so much 
as a growl. At night he kept the most vigilant watch 
over our camp, and was always in excellent spirits. Nor 
could he be counted among the cowardly ones of the 
earth. Whenever we approached an aul, off he would 
dash ahead like a flash of lightning, and pick a quarrel 
with the dogs of the place. Although he set on to right 
and left with a determination worthy of all praise, he was 
of course always beaten ; yet he never displayed the 
slightest fear even when outnumbered by half a score. 
