UNINHABITED REGIONS 
967 
the driving snow. T. he caravan had halted at the foot of 
a small isolated sandstone hill, where there was a tiny 
spring, which supplied us with water. A little scanty 
yappkak grew in the neighbourhood, and with that the 
animals had to be content. Otherwise it was a barren and 
desolate region, and the men’s spirits fell, so much so that 
in the evening there was a lively dispute amongst our 
Taghliks as to which of them should go with us all the 
way until we again came to inhabited districts. They all 
wanted to go back ; those inhospitable regions had no 
attraction whatever for them. 
August 9th. As usual the night was still ; the minimum 
temperature was I9°4 bahr. ( — 7° C.). In the morning my 
ink was frozen to a lump of ice. Although it was only 
the beginning of August, yet we were in the middle of 
winter ! 
My friend Fong Shi was in a very queer way. He com- 
plained of splitting headache and sleeplessness, and was 
unable to retain on his stomach what he ate. At his 
urgent entreaty I agreed that, if he was not better to- 
day, he should go back. 
Nobody ran away during the night, so that the caravan 
was able to start again in the accustomed order of march. 
The sheep and two goats, which were driven by a man 
specially appointed for the purpose, travelled well. 1 he 
goats were very useful in several ways. They always went 
i the head of the flock, and so Incited the slower-footed 
sheep to keep up with them ; and every morning they gave 
me a cup of milk to my tea. The increasing cold made a 
change necessary in the arrangement of my tent. The 
small projection which I dubbed the boudoir was taken in, 
so that we could draw the side opposite the opening closer 
together, and so retain the heat more effectually. Ihe 
ends of the tent -covering, which hung down all round, 
were folded in underneath the carpets and kept in place by 
the packing-cases, thus shutting out all draughts, whilst the 
tent stood as firm as a rock even in a stiff gale. 
We were now travelling east-south-east across the slig t y 
undulating plain. So far as we could see, the solid rock 
