THE RETURN TO KHOTAN 
92 1 
sketches, and put before him all the pros and cons of the 
Lop-nor problem. In this last he was especially interested, 
for he said he knew of his owm knowdedge, that the lake 
had formerly occupied a different situation. 
Instead of going to Urumchi, we stayed all the next day 
in Charkhlik, and I made my return visit to Shi Darin. 
He received me with bright friendliness, and showed me 
the route-maps he had himself plotted of the mountain- 
roads south of Charkhlik and Cherchen, and I confess I 
was astonished at his work. Had the names not been 
written in Chinese characters, nobody could have told that 
the maps were not made by a European. The mountains 
were shown with the orthodox gradings of modern 
geographers. Then he showed me his English com- 
passes, diopters, measuring-scales, and so forth. After 
that he took me all over the “ fortress,” and showed me 
his stores of ammunition and firearms, and proved himself 
to be entirely devoid of prejudice. In a word, he was not 
at all an ordinary Chinaman, but more like a European 
than a son of the Middle Kingdom. He had been 
stationed in Kulja for several years, and there been 
brought into contact with the Russians ; and the conse- 
quence was, that not only was he an admirer of Western 
civilization, but he even condemned Chinese civilization. 
And his acquaintance with Splingaert, and association 
with him in their long journey, had strengthened his 
prepossessions in favour of Europeans. Whilst we were 
at dinner, I thought it would be a favourable opportunity 
to inquire what he was going to do with regard to 
arresting me. He replied, that he had spent all the 
morning, trying to instil a little reason into Li Darin ; but 
that Li Darin had stubbornly persisted that, so long as the 
Dungans remained in revolt, his instructions were to stop 
everybody seeking to travel to Khotan via Cherchen. To 
this Shi Darin said that he replied, 1 was not a Dungan, 
but a peaceful European. The aniban retorted, he did not 
know exactly who I was ; I had no passport. 
“Well, then, I suppose I must prepare to go to 
Urumchi?” said 1. 
11.-17 
