BOATING ON NORTHERN LOP-NOR 897 
second. One of my boatmen, the hunter Kurban, who 
had been ranging that country for fifty years, and knew 
it both when it was nothing but desert, and subsequently 
after the water returned nine years ago — Kurban told me, 
that Przhevalsky sent him and two or three other willing 
fellows from Abdal to procure him the skin of a wild 
camel. They shot a camel, and were handsomely re- 
warded for the skin with money, knives, and other things. 
But since the water came back, and people followed it 
to live there, the wild animals had entirely disappeared, 
having no doubt taken refuge in the desert farther to the 
east. 
We came out upon the first of the lakes. The storm- 
lashed waves were boiling westwards, their crests tipped 
with plumes of foam. There was risk in venturing out 
upon them with the unsteady canoe ; besides, the lakes 
were extremely shallow, and if the canoe were to strike 
against the sandy bottom, it would be certain to capsize, 
both wind and waves being on the larboard. We there- 
fore hugged the eastern shore as closely as we possibly 
could, availing ourselves of the shelter of the high sand- 
dunes. 
At length we happily reached a village without a name 
at the nearer extremity of Sadak-kOll, a place where 
several families dwelt in reed huts. These people 
received me with the most natural hospitality, cooked 
the fish they had just drawn out of the lake, and 
gave me in addition wild-ducks’ eggs, and the young, 
tender shoots of kami.sh (reeds), and bread ; and as I 
consumed my simple, but very tasty, supper, I was the 
admired centre of a ring of laughing, chattering Lopliks 
(Lop-men) of both sexes and every age — indeed the 
young women were not in the least ashamed to let me 
see their fresh-coloured, though far from beautiful, features. 
I afterwards discovered the cause of this unusual absence 
of shame and timidity. The good people had never be- 
fore seen a European, although they had heard speak of 
the Chong-tura (Great Man), i.e., Przhevalsky, who had 
visited their fellow-tribesmen farther to the south, with 
