1130 
THROUGH ASIA 
Mohammedan songs, echoing like cries of distress around 
the camp fires. As soon as day dawned, the sentries 
turned in, trusting to the dogs to give the alarm after that 
if anything happened. 
November ist. The night passed peacefully. Nothing 
was heard of either Tanguts or bears, and rifle on shoulder 
we set off towards the east-south-east. The lake speedily 
vanished from sight, as we entered a tolerably broad valley, 
which ascended as we advanced. We then had on both 
sides moderately high mountain-chains, with jagged tops, 
and free from snow. The path went up a dry rain-channel, 
the principal drainage artery of the district, which ran along 
the middle of the valley among patches of steppe, bushes, 
and thickets. 
We came across the fresh track of a bear going in the 
direction we were travelling. Islam and Loppsen begged 
permission to follow him. They soon came pretty near 
him, and all three disappeared behind the bushes. 
The caravan was skirting the mountains on the right. 
Immediately after passing a projecting shoulder of rock 
I stopped, with Emin Mirza, to take an observation. 
The mountains were composed of a violet-black clay- 
slate, with an inclination of fifty-three degrees towards 
E. 160° S. Then we rode on after the caravan, and drew 
near to the middle of the valley. 
At the end of about an hour we were rather startled 
to see Islam and Loppsen come galloping back as hard 
as their horses could put hoofs to ground, waving their 
rifles over their heads and shouting, “ Tangut robbers! 
Tangut robbers!” They raced up to us, and close 
behind them pursued a band of about a dozen mounted 
Tanguts, enveloped in a cloud of dust. 1 instantly com- 
manded the caravan to halt. “The baggage animals 
behind those bushes in charge of one man ! Out 
weapons ! Cartridges ready ! ” 
I, Islam, Parpi, and Loppsen, after dismounting and 
throwing off our furs and pelts, took our station on 
the top of two clay hills. The Mohammedans fairly 
shook with anxiety. Parpi had been in conflict with the 
