THROUGH ASIA 
736 
Mohammedans also measure distances by potai, not as 
in other districts by task (stone), yoll (road), and chakerem 
(shout-distances). The potai are indicated by flattened 
pyramids of clay, eighteen or twenty feet in height, and 
there are on an average ten such intervals or “ miles ” 
between every two stations. But no two potai are the 
same length. I measured some of them, and got the 
following results :— 4 o 681 403 2I 3830 yards respectively. 
What method of measurement the Chinese followed when 
they erected these “mile-stones” I do not know; anyway 
it cannot have been a very accurate method. At the rate 
we usually marched, it took us three-quarters of an hour 
to traverse a potai. 
Our next station was the pleasant little town of Guma, 
an oasis in the desert well supplied with water. The 
route between Chullak-lengher and Guma ran across 
dreary steppes and barren plains. The 29th December 
we spent at Guma, and the following day went on to 
the village of Muji. Thence, on the last day of the year, 
we made a flying excursion in quest of a kovneh-shah^' 
(ancient city), which I had been told was to be found in 
that neighbourhood. 
We reached the ruins, which were scarcely a potai 
distant north-east of the caravanserai, across a barren 
steppe. They consisted principally of a number of tombs 
ranged along a series of clay terraces. We opened up 
two or three of them. They were backed on the outside 
