CHAPTER LXXXV. 
TIBETAN STORMS 
SEPTEMBER 14th. The death-register was length- 
>0 ened by the addition of the deaths of a horse and a 
donkey. A flock of geese passed over our heads, flying 
north-west in the direction of Lop-nor — a strange spectacle 
at this season of the year. All day we toiled along between 
ridges of moderate elevation, down a broad valley, beside 
a crystal pure mountain-stream. But although the surface 
sloped very gradually downwards, it did not help the 
animals much, for the ground was soft and moist like mud, 
and they sank in over the hoofs at every step. Patches of 
snow were still left in places, and when they melted, they 
too saturated the ground. 
I hoped that the stream we were travelling beside was 
the upper course of the Naptchitai-ulan-muren shown on 
the maps ; but eventually we saw a long way ahead of us 
another large lake. But perhaps it was a freshwater lake ? 
Perhaps the river flowed right through it, issuing again at 
the farther end ? And my hopes rose as the vast area of 
the lake gradually became unfolded to our view : its surface 
made a straight line across the distant horizon. At length 
we reached the lake itself, and pitched our next camp 
(15,775 feet) between a couple of low hills on its southern 
shore, after doing seventeen and a quarter miles. 
My first concern was to get a tin of water brought up 
from the lake. The water was bright and clear. I drank 
a mouthful of it : it was bitter salt. Another self-contained 
lake-basin then ! and still another pass to surmount at its 
eastern end! Well, well! We had no choice in the 
matter. We could not strike off to the north or north- 
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