658 
THROUGH ASIA 
entirely to the keeping of live-stock, spend the summer in 
the mountains, and only come down into the valley of the 
Taushkan-daria for the winter. There are seven septs or 
families represented in the district ; but all obey one bi or 
chieftain. 
But I will curtail my account of this journey by hurrying 
over the next eight days. We travelled up the valley of 
the Taushkan-daria, crossed the rang-es of low hills which 
shut in the valley 'On the south, and then continued in 
a south-westerly direction over the steppes and desert, 
until on the afternoon of June 21st we reached Kashgar — 
the westernmost town of China. The people we came in 
contact with were Kirghiz and Jagatai Turks. After the 
scorching heat of the Desert of Takla-makan, I thoroughly 
enjoyed the fre.sh mountain air. As it was the rainy period, 
it was still further cooled by the rains, which often fell in 
copious quantities, and by storms which drove up and down 
the valley from the east and from the west, as though they 
were being discharged through a rifle barrel. We passed 
the towns and auls of Utch-musduk (the Three Glaciers), 
Sum-tash, Kizil-eshmeh (the Red Springs), Kustcheh (the 
Autumn Place), Jai-teve (the Grave Hill), Sogun-karaol, 
Kalta-yeylak (the Little Summer Pasture -Ground), and 
Besh-kerem (the Five Fortresses). 
In Kashgar I stayed barely three weeks, and busy weeks 
they were, as I worked hard at equipping and fitting out 
another caravan. My old friend Mr. Petrovsky, who during 
my absence had been advanced to the dignity of Con.sul- 
General, and in addition, shortly after that was, for his 
invaluable services to me, honoured by King Oscar with 
the star of a knight-commander of the Vasa order, 
welcomed me with much gladness and emotion, and did 
all in his power to help me with the preparations for my 
next expedition. As soon as he learnecl of our unlucky 
desert journey from the aksakal of Khotan, he had gone to 
the Dao Tai, and given him to understand that, unless he 
promptly made inquiries after my lost camel in both 
Khotan and Ak-su, he would hear of the matter from 
the 'Psung-li-yamen in Peking. The Dao Tai did his duty; 
