THE LOP-NOR PROBLEM 
883 
6^ miles west of the meridional course of the Tarim, the 
“ancient river-bed of the Cherchen-daria twelve miles 
north of the point where the Cherchen-daria empties 
itself into the Kara-buran, and the “dry river-bed of 
Shirgheh-chappgan ” eight miles north of Abdal. I also 
discovered other ancient river-beds at Kum-chekkeh and 
Merdek-shahr. But the four I have cited from Kozloff 
are sufficient to show that, far from being permanent in 
its position, the lake of Lop-nor, together with the rivers 
which flow into it, is, on the contrary, subject to greater 
changes than perhaps any other lake of the same size 
on the face of the earth. 
The problem is extremely interesting and fascinating 
from the scientific point of view ; but the length and 
purpose of this present book warn me that 1 must refrain 
from entering upon it here. I intend to discuss the 
question thoroughly in a subsequent work. In the 
meantime my able and enthusiastic fellow-traveller. Lieu- 
tenant Kozloff, has thrown down the gauge of battle. 
It will give me great pleasure to take it up. That will 
be the second phase of the Lop-nor controversy. We 
possess all the materials for a solution. It only remains 
to prove which of the two groups of lakes, the northern 
or the southern, that which I discovered, or that which 
Przhevalsky discovered, is the older ; whichever is the 
older must undoubtedly be identified with the Lop-nor 
of the Chinese maps. Which of the two parties is right 
is a matter of little real moment in itself. I trust that 
national prepossessions will have no weight in determining 
a question of fact. The essential thing to do is to unravel 
the truth ; and in so far as it contributes to that end a 
controversy is always advantageous. 
Thus we have learnt, on the banks of the “moving 
lake, that the gigantic river - system which drains the 
vast central basin of the interior of Asia — embracing 
the Kizil-su, which flows down from the eternal snows 
of the Terek-davan ; the Raskan-daria, which is fed by 
the glaciers of the eastern Pamirs, the Hindu-kush, and 
north-western Tibet, and whose current, running with 
