1 
68o THROUGH ASIA 
by detritus and sand, in part by reeds and seaweed (algee), 
and on the west by rich meadows and marshes. The 
lake lay, as it were, wedged in the throat of the valley of 
Kamelah, and gathered into itself all the drainag'e- water 
of the valley. 
I pass over our itinerary of the next few days, only 
mentioning, that the route took us through Bulun-kul, 
Kara-kul, Su-bashi, and Gedyack — all of them districts 
that I had already visited. It was not until the 26th 
that I broke new ground, in that we crossed over the 
river basin of Tagharma, a stream which effects a con- 
fluence with the Kara-su, the river that drains the 
southern versant of Mus-tagh-ata. The conjoint stream 
then forces its way through the mountains in a narrow 
gorge called Tenghi. We travelled through the defile ; 
which was only short. Further on the united Tagharma- 
Kara-su, known however by the latter name, Kara-su, 
poured itself into the Taghdumbash-daria, a stream which 
with almost incredible energy has cleft its way through 
the massive meridional mountain-chains that form, so to 
speak, the projecting rim of the Pamir plateau. That 
transverse valley, known as Shindeh-yilga, is, as might 
be supposed, close, confined, and wildly picturesque. The 
flood occupies it entirely, so that it is only in cold winters, 
when the river is ice-bound, that it is possible to reach 
Yarkand by that route. 
Previous to the confluence of the rivers, we had been j 
going down the stream. After the confluence we left the 
defile of Shindeh-yilga . on the left, and ascended the 
upper part of the Taghdumbash-daria, the track leading 
towards the south on the west side of the upper stream. [ 
1 he road was level and firm, and frequently led across | 
rich grassy meadows. Ahead of us we could see the I 
fortress of Tash-kurgan, the goal of that day’s march. 
After passing through the villages of Chushman (45 I 
houses) and Tisnab (200 houses), we entered the lower 
valley of the Taghdumbash. It was broad and open, and 
wore a prosperous look, with its cultivated fields and 
pasture -grounds, on which innumerable herds of sheep, | 
