lOOO 
THROUGH ASIA 
Having advanced some distance farther we encamped, 
after a march of 13^ miles, in the entrance to a side-glen, 
although there was not a mouthful of herbage to be found, 
except a species of moss with tiny red flowers growing 
between the stones. 
Contrary to expectation, it was a beautiful evening. 
I he atmosphere was absolutely pure, and the snow, and 
the white clouds above it, gleamed dazzlingly white under 
the full moon. It was dark when the camels came in, 
gliding up to the camji like silent though majestic shadows. 
As soon as their loads were taken off their backs, the 
poor beasts began eagerly looking about for grass. The 
horses and donkeys were tethered, for we did not let them 
feed until they had rested a couple of hours. Except the 
cooks, the men too used to rest as soon as they had 
erected the tent. Then for one or two hours peace and 
silence reigned in the camp. I seized the opportunity to 
take an observation of the moon, by no means an easy 
task, for it was terribly cold (24°8 Fahr. or -4° C. at nine 
o’clock). The finely graduated circles in the prismatic 
circle clouded as often as I attempted to read them ; 
and in such a highly rarefied atmosphere it is impos- 
sible to hold your breath, even for tw'O or three seconds 
together. 
When the time came at which the horses and donkeys 
w'ere usually fed, they began to whinny and paw the 
ground with impatience, and when the nose-bags were 
slung round their necks, I liked to hear them crunching 
and grinding the hard maize between their strong teeth. 
Their meal ended, they were let run loose for the night, 
but were collected together early the next morning. 
It was so silent, so still in those lofty solitudes, we felt 
as though we were visitors on some strange planet. The 
vast spaces of the sky gloomed upon us dusky blue from 
over the snowy summits of Arka-tagh. It was a world 
in which all things were motionless, rigid, eternally fixed, 
save for the twinkling of the stars, the slow and solemn 
procession of the clouds, the sparkling of the snow 
crystals. The only sound that reached the ear was the 
