470 
THROUGH ASIA 
which yields saltish water, and is ten minutes further 
away. 
At a distance of twenty minutes towards the north-west 
stood the saint’s masar or tomb, a truly extraordinary 
structure. It was composed of a sheaf of two or three 
thousand tughs, each with a pennon attached, stacked 
up in the shape of an Fdffel tower. Standing forty feet 
high, on the top of a sand-dune, it was visible to a great 
distance. An attempt has been made to render the dune 
stationary by planting sheaves of kamish (reeds) in the 
sand round the masar ; and the expedient has been to 
some extent successful, for the portion of the sand-dune 
upon which the masar stands projects so far towards the 
north-west, i.e., to windward, that it is now threatened 
by the dune which comes next on that side. 
The sandstorm raged with undiminished violence, so 
that the hundreds and hundreds of pennons flapped and 
fluttered furiomsly, with an endless series of small reports. 
These tughs are brought there year after year by the 
pilgrims, so that the curious sheaf goes on increasing in 
size. To prevent the whole structure from being blown 
over, the sticks are secured at the top by a couple of 
square wooden cross-pieces. A number of smaller bundles 
of tughs form a fence, thirty yards square, all round the 
tomb. 
The imam told me something of the story of Ordan 
Padshah. His real name was Sultan Ali Ar.slan Khan ; 
and eight hundred years ago he was at enmity with the 
tribe of Togdarashid-Noktarashid, among whom he was 
endeavouring to propagate Islam. In the midst of the 
strife he w'as overtaken by a kara-buran, or black sand- 
storm, from Kharesm (Khiva), which buried him and the 
whole of his army. Hence to this day he plays an 
important part in the martyrology of East Turkestan. 
In the afternoon we rode through the villages of Dost- 
bulak (the Friend’s Spring), Khora.san, and Psann due 
north to Achick (Bitter), the yuz-bashi of which received 
me in a friendly spirit, telling me a good deal about the 
climate and the roads in the vicinity. 
