THE WILD ASS 
1023 
The westerly storm ! No, it did not forget us— nothing 
of the kind. At half-past one down it swooped with the 
same unerring certainty it had displayed on each of the 
days preceding, and in its wake followed a blinding snow- 
storm. After it had passed, it turned out a splendid 
afternoon ; the sunset was magnificent, the hills and 
mountains in the west being outlined like inky black 
silhouettes, whilst in the east they were bathed in vivid 
reds and yellows. 
The next day, August 30th, every man made the most 
of the opportunity to sleep all he could, whilst the caravan 
animals roamed over the hills plucking the grass. I made 
an excursion to the lake that lay to the west of the camp. 
A GUI.L (HANGHEITT) KKOM NORTH TIBET’ 
The chief drainage artery of the locality poured its water 
into a small lagoon, whence it made its way into the lake 
by a number of small channels. The water, although 
perfectly clear, was so salt that it stuck to my fingers. 
Near the shore there were a quantity of white gulls (the 
men called them haiigheitt), diving under the waves as 
they curled towards them. The ground was covered with 
fine gravel and coarse sand, derived from the same green 
slates which were everywhere so prevalent. Six or seven 
feet above the existing level of the lake 1 o serve 
another shore-line, but could not make out whethei it was 
due to a higher level during the inflow of the summer 
floods or whether it was simply caused by the beating 
of the waves. Now that I commanded a full view of the 
lake I perceived that the waves could be both high and 
