976 
THROUGH ASIA 
During the clay there had been a fresh breeze from the 
north-west. I could not have done without a suit of 
warm clothing in my saddle-straps, for the weather was 
extremely fickle and changeable. So long as it was still 
and clear, it was hot enough in the heat of the sun to 
broil you ; but the very next moment, if a cloud happened 
to obscure the sun, or a violent gust of wind swept down 
upon you, you shivered and flew to your furs. 
Next morning three men were ill, and begged that 
we would rest there a day, at camp No. IV. I agreed 
to their request all the more willingly in that the six days’ 
continuous hard travelling had exhausted all the caravan 
animals ; and as we had plenty of both water and grass, 
it was a very suitable spot to stay in. The only thing 
of which there was a short supply was fuel. The tufts 
of yappkak grew isolated and at wide intervals apart ; but 
the men went out and gathered all they could find in 
the vicinity. It snowed all night and all the next morning, 
so that the ground was white ; but immediately the sun 
rose, the snow began to melt, and it melted with marvel- 
lous rapidity, owing to the dryness of the atmosphere. 
The snow was hard and granular, and rattled vivaciously 
upon the tent felts. 
The rest did us all good. Peace and silence reigned 
all round the camp ; and the animals strayed to a great 
distance in their search for more nourishino[ urass. 
During the course of the day the sick list grew longer. 
Most of the men complained of headache. Even Islam 
Bai kept his bed and gave vent to melancholy plaints ; 
and as he was caravan-bashi or baz (caravan-leader), this 
cast down the spirits of the other men. The weather was 
not very encouraging. The sky w^as thick with clouds, 
and dark and gloomy. Snow fell with but short inter- 
mission throughout the day, so that the ground was white ; 
and after three o’clock it froze. Add to this that a full- 
blooded west wind was racing past, and it will be evident 
that there was no temptation to open-air exploration. I 
preferred to sit still in my tent, wrapped in my furs, and 
busy myself with back work or reading. 
