ON PRZHEVALSKY’S LOP-NOR 903 
ghelik-uy. Thus they are semi-nomadic in their mode 
of life. 
The caravan went on further to Abdal by land, whilst 1 
still continued the journey by water, across the scanty sur- 
viving portions of what twelve years ago was the broad 
lake of Kara-buran. 
The storm had at length paused to take breath ; but 
instead of it we had rain all day long (April i8th). During 
the heaviest downpour we took shelter for a couple of hours 
in the little village of Tokkuz-attam (the Nine Fathers), 
a place entirely surrounded by water. The lakes were 
throughout very shallow, owing to the thick deposits of 
fluvial sediment and sand ; indeed there were long stretches 
where the water was scarce four inches deep, so that the 
boatmen had to get out and wade, and drag the canoe after 
them as though it were a hand-sledge. 
We spent the night in the village of Chai, and next day 
rowed all the way to Abdal, a distance of thirty-seven miles 
(though only twenty -five miles as the crow flies). It was 
splendid travelling, for the weather was fine. The further 
the Tarim flowed to the east, the deeper and narrower it 
o-rew, whilst its banks became more and more desolate, till 
o ' 
at last not a vestige of vegetation was to be seen. 
When we drew near to Abdal It was evening, and the 
entire population of the place were out on the river-bank to 
welcome us. Seeing amongst them a little old patriarch of 
a man, 1 cried, pointing to him, although I had never 
seen him in my life before, “ That ’s Kunchekkan Beg ! ’ 
Whereat they were not a little astonished. But after the 
portrait of the old man given by Przhevalsky in his account 
of his fourth journey, it was not difficult to recognize him. 
On his part the aged chief welcomed me as though I were 
an old acquaintance, and led me to a clean “parlour” in his 
reed cabin. 
Kunchekkan Beg was a fine old fellow. He talked 
away all the time without once waiting to be prompted, 
and gave me a store of valuable Information. Przhevalsky 
had made him a present of his own photograph, as well 
as photographs of several scenes taken in the neighbour- 
