CHAPTER LXIII. 
THE BURIED CITY OF TAKLA-MAKAN 
O N January 14th, 1896, I left Khotan with a small 
picked caravan, consisting of four men and three 
splendid male camels ; I also took with me two donkeys, 
to try what their staying powers would be like in a forced 
desert march. The men w'ere Islam Bai and Kerim Jan 
from Osh, and the two hunters, Ahmed Merghen and 
Kasim Akhun, who helped us last year after our shipwreck 
in the desert of Takla-makan. Bitter experience had 
taught me, that for a journey through the great desert 
we ought to be as lightly equipped as possible, and there- 
fore on this occasion I only took such things as were 
absolutely and indispensably necessary, the result being 
light burdens for the three magnificent camels. If this 
time we should be compelled to abandon the caravan, the 
loss would be the less serious. 
I left my heavy baggage, and the greater part of my 
Chinese silver, at the aksakal’s house in Khotan ; hence 
sooner or later I should be obliged to return thither. We 
took provisions for fifty days ; but we were absent four 
and a half months, and consequently during the greater 
part of the time had to make the best of what the country 
afforded. My first plan was to explore Przhevalsky’s 
Masar-tagh, and afterwards proceed eastwards through the 
desert to the Keriya-daria, with the object of visiting on 
the way the ruins of an ancient town which I had heard 
spoken of in Khotan. The return journey was to be 
made southwards, up the bed of the Keriya-daria, and 
through the town of Keriya, back to Khotan. How this 
modest plan grew and developed into a formidable enter- 
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