1094 
THROUGH ASIA 
fall. The belt of desert was replaced by steppe, with 
tamarisks growing on mounds of their own roots as 
in East Turkestan. At first they only occurred in thinly 
scattered twos and threes ; but farther on formed con- 
tinuous and intricate woods. After a good deal of 
searching about, Dorcheh at length discovered a path. 
But, saying he was afraid the other men, who followed 
behind and were without a guide, would never be able 
to find it, he told me which way to go to reach the 
next camping-place, and then, before 1 could offer a 
word of protest, disappeared in the darkness. 
Fortunately my horse was more familiar than I was 
with the locality, and after riding close upon an hour, 
I caught a glimpse of fires shining through the bushes 
ahead. The Mongol dogs gave the alarm, and out rushed 
a horde of them, barking furiously at my horse and at 
Yolldash, whom I had caught up and placed on the 
saddle in front of me. I then saw the tents, and people 
about them. Riding quietly up to one of them, I 
fastened my horse outside, and went in. There were 
half-a-dozen Mongols in the tent. They looked up at 
me with a stare of amazement. I greeted them with 
the customary “Amir san ? ” and sat down beside the fire 
and lighted my pipe. I saw a pan with fermented mare’s- 
milk standing in a corner. I got up and took a good 
drink. It tasted like small beer, and was very refreshing 
after my long ride of nearly twenty-seven miles. The 
Mongols still continued to stare at me without uttering a 
word, though they did not forget from time to time to 
push more fuel on the fire. Nor had they recovered 
from their amazement when Dorcheh arrived two hours 
later, with the caravan. He then explained to them 
what manner of folk we were. A fire was made in an 
open space among the Mongol tents, and my tent was 
pitched so as to enclose it. It was one o’clock in the 
morning when I got my supper. 
This last forced march cost us two more horses and 
a donkey ; so that now we had only three camels, three 
horses, and one donkey left out of the fifty-six animals 
