AN EARTHLY PARADISE 51 1 
an isolated dune, whose horns pointed to the south and 
south-west, we pitched our camp. 
With the idea of making our presence known, in case 
there was anybody in the vicinity who could give us a 
little topographical information, we set fire to a dry 
poplar thicket at the foot of the sand-dune. The flames 
shot out their ruddy reflection to a long distance ; but 
never a human being showed himself. We were all 
tired after our toilsome day’s march of sixteen miles, 
and went early to bed. The camels, however, were 
best off ; every day they got full rations of both water 
and food. 
April 19th. When the tent was struck, we found a 
scorpion under the carpet, an inch and a half long. 
Upon being disturbed, he made violent efforts to use 
his tail. We were all tired with our exertions of the 
day before, and it was after nine o’clock when we got 
started. The little mountain - chain towards which we 
were now steering our course loomed up on the east, 
and ran towards the south-east, where it became lower, 
and finally was lost in the haze. There was another 
mountain in the north. According to the itinerary I 
had mapped out for our journey, the latter ought to be 
the Masar-alldi. Between the two ranges winds the 
Yarkand-daria ; but we were unable to see the river. 
This day we covered only yf miles ; for, although 
our route lay across a steppe, the steppe was excessively 
cut up by ravines and marshes. But the mountain 
became gradually more and more distinct. Its weathered, 
rugged outlines were easy to make out. The sand-dunes 
climbed up its northern slopes to a pretty considerable 
height. Along their foot was a chain of small fresh- 
water lakes, separated from one another by low isthmuses. 
A channel entering into the largest of the group revealed 
the fact that they drew their supplies of water from the 
river. During the summer they no doubt shrink together 
and form only a single lake. Keeping between the lakes 
and the mountain, we steered at first towards the east ; 
afterwards, in order to get round a spur of the range, we 
