1048 
THROUGH ASIA 
mountains. The plain fact is, horses and donkeys were 
not suited for such high altitudes. The camels stood the 
hardships of travel nTuch better ; yet even they had grown 
painfully thinner. The men maintained that the herbage 
was actually injurious to all the animals. But if so, 
how is it that the khulans and wild yaks thrive so well 
on it ? 
September 13th. This day, although we put seventeen 
and a half miles under our feet, only one donkey 
succumbed. The water in the creek at the east end of 
the lake was so far fresh, thanks to the stream which 
flowed into it, that the animals were able to drink it. 
At ten o'clock in the morning its temperature was 
49°i Fahr. (9°5 C.), whilst the temperature of the air was 
38°7 Fahr. (3°7 C.). During the course of the morning 
the wind veered round to the south-west. In consequence 
of this the scum, which fringed the southern beach, drifted 
across the lake towards the northern shore like tufts of 
cotton. The surface of the ground rose imperceptibly 
towards the east, merging into a level plain, virtually a 
continuation of the lake-basin. Its marshy ground was 
very tiring for the animals. But we soon got higher, 
amongst a tangled labyrinth of low hills ; from the top 
of one of which we obtained a splendid and compre- 
hensive view of the large lake we had just left. Its 
western extremity was just visible as a faint line along 
the distant horizon, and above it loomed a row of snow- 
clad mountain summits. 
Having crossed yet another level plain, likewise 
traversed by a stream making for the lake behind 
us, and threaded yet another labyrinth of low hills, 
we reached the saddle which bordered the basin ot 
lake No. 18 on the cast. Hour after hour we plodded 
our slow way through the desolate lifeless scene, the 
dead silence unbroken by a single sound. At length 
we reached a small pass overlooking a tiny isolated 
pool ; and beside it 1 found the tents already pitched 
when 1 got down. I hoped, from the broken ground, 
that we should soon reach a Peripheral region, and 
