594 
THROUGH ASIA 
at any rate had enough of tramping for a while, and at 
half-past two in the morning lay down and slept beside 
the track. 
We awoke at daybreak, and pushed on again. It was 
then ten minutes past four. Kasim was a fearful object to 
look at. His tongue was white, dry, and swollen, his lips 
bluish, his cheeks sunken, his eyes dull and glassy. He 
suffered from a convulsive hiccough, which shook him 
from top to toe ; it was like the singultus or hiccough of 
death. He had hard work to stand up ; but he did, and 
managed somehow to follow me. 
Our throats were on fire with the hot dryness. We 
fancied we could hear our joints grating, and thought 
they would catch fire from the friction of walking. Our 
eyes were so dried up, that we were scarcely able to open 
and shut them. 
When the sun rose, we turned our eager eyes towards 
thejeast. The horizon was sharp and distinct, and had 
a different outline from what we were accustomed to 
see. It was no longer denticulated as if formed of in- 
numerable series of ridges of sand ; it was a horizontal 
line, showing scarce perceptible inequalities. After going 
a little] further, we perceived that the horizon was edged 
with a black border. What joy ! What blessed fortune ! 
It was the forest that lined the bank of the Khotan-daria. 
We were approaching it at last. 
Shortly before five o’clock we came to a darah (strictly 
speaking, valley) or depression in the sand, and I soon 
arrived at the conclusion, that it was a former bed of 
the river. Numerous poplars grew in its lowest part. 
There must be water not very far below them. Once 
more we seized the spade ; but we had not strength 
enough to dig. We were forced to struggle on again 
towards the east. We travelled at first across a belt 
of low, barren sand. But at half-past five we entered 
the thick, continuous forest. The trees were in full 
foliage, and their leafy crowns filled the forest beneath 
with gloomy shadows. After, all we were not to lose our 
spring, the season dedicated to hope ! 
