CHAPTER LI. 
DOWN THE KHOTAN-DARIA 
W E did not travel in one party, but divided. Islam 
Bai and the two hunters travelled by the caravan- 
road that traversed the forest on the left bank of the 
stream, in order to keep a look-out for the trail of 
the missing camel. Ahmed Merghen and I rode down 
the bed of the river, and Kasim followed us in charge 
of the two camels. But as we rode hard, we soon lost 
sight of him. In the afternoon we came to the little 
pool which had saved my life. There stood the reed 
thicket as before, and the poplars leaned over the water, 
which had dropped nearly five inches since May 6th. It 
retained the same shape however. There I rested a 
good hour, partly to wait for Kasim to come up, but 
more particularly that I might drink again of that 
splendid, that glorious life-giving water. Ahmed Merghen 
called the pool Khoda-verdi-koll, or the “ God-given lake.” 
After a ride of ten hours we all met again in the part 
of the forest called Kuyundehlik (the Place of Hares). 
Several shepherds were encamped there looking after 
their flocks. Islam had not seen any signs of the camel 
in the forest. Even though there had been any trail, it 
would have been destroyed by the hurricane. 
May 24th. We decided to rest a day, chiefly in order 
that some of the men might scour the forest, in that part 
from four to eight miles wide, with their dogs. Five 
shepherds, in charge of five hundred sheep and sixty 
cattle, had been four days at Kuyundehlik. It was only 
a short two hours’ journey to the pool of God’s gift. Had 
I gone north on May 6th, instead of going south, I should 
637 
