iiyz 
THROUGH ASIA 
summer the river is too powerful to permit of a crossing ; 
hence travellers follow a path up above on the cliffs. We 
had again entered a region inhabited by Mongols ; but 
they used the same kind of black tents as the Tanguts. 
1 hat evening we pitched our tents in an expansion of 
the valley, at a place called Murgutsuk, not far from 
the temple of Shinneh-kitt. 
November 15th. The wide but stony road ran along 
the left bank of the river. By this we had descended 
a long way below the level of the Koko-nor. We passed 
various features of interest. For instance, the little 
■secondary pass of Hadda-ulan (the Red Hills), from 
the top of which we obtained a splendid view of the 
entire valley, including no less than seventeen obos, 
planted on every commanding eminence. Then came 
Tsagan-tokko, a village with clay houses, surrounded by 
walls of clay, and inhabited for the most part by Chinese. 
At the temple of Brattsing-kitt the river was spanned 
by a rickety wooden bridge, the first we had seen for 
many a day. The villages came more frequently, and 
were shaded by poplars and birches, larches and spruces, 
through the branches of which the wind murmured in 
strangely familiar tones. The traffic too was more lively. 
We met numbers of horsemen, Chinese, Mongols, 
Tanguts ; and small caravans of donkeys, carrying country 
produce into the towns. Wa also saw occasionally two- 
wheeled carts drawn by mules. The slopes of the 
mountains were full of cattle and yaks grazing ; and 
almost every projecting crag was crowned by a temple 
or lonely obo. Everything indicated that we were ap- 
proaching a large town. Shortly after midday the houses 
began to stand closer together, and the road assumed 
something of the appearance of a street. On we rode 
between the buildings, nor was it long before we saw- 
ahead of us the stone gateway of Ten-kar. 
We rode on into the town, along the main street, which 
was lined with houses having picturesque faqades. What 
a bustling, noisy throng! Unaccustomed as we were to 
such an animated spectacle, we were well-nigh deafened 
