THE WILD ASS 
1027 
life was represented by antelopes, a fox, swallows, and 
larks. But our most interesting discovery this day was, 
that human beings had once been there before us. At 
one point there was a well-defined gap in the Southern 
Range, and through it appeared very conspicuously a 
rounded mountain -top capped with snow ; and on the 
left of the mountain there was plainly distinguishable 
an easy pass leading over the range. As soon as we 
came opposite that strongly marked feature, Parpi Bai 
rode up to me, and said that he recognized the locality 
again. “That was the pass by which the caravan of 
‘ Bovolo Tura’ (M. Bonvalot) and Prince Henry of 
Orleans had crossed the range.” 
Further on, we went down into yet another broad, 
shallow valley, in which were a couple of small lakes 
and some marshes. According to my reckoning, we could 
not now be very far from the route followed by the cele- 
brated French travellers. And as I had Bonvalot’s map 
in my pocket, I thought I ought to be able to identify 
the more prominent geographical features. I could now 
understand why at this point the red line indicating M. 
Bonvalot’s route made a bend on the map. Bonvalot’s 
map was not however sufficiently detailed ; still there 
can be little doubt that his Dome du Sature answers 
to my Mount D., and his Volcanoes des Ruysbruk are 
simply the black tuff hills, fragments of which were visible 
on every side of us. The marshes and lakes which 1 have 
mentioned are named by him fondrieres et lacs gilds" 
(morasses and frozen lakes). 
Seeing that the camel-caravan had taken quite a wrong 
direction, namely towards the north-east, I sent Parpi Bai 
after them, to turn them back towards the south, the 
direction in which the horse-caravan had gone. In the 
broad valley we were travelling down one of the men 
made a discovery which proved conclusively that our route 
and that of Bonvalot and Prince Henry of Orleans inter- 
sected just at that point. He found camel droppings, old 
and discoloured, and two or three pieces of white felt 
carpet {kighiz), such as is put on camels’ backs to protect 
