THE ETTEK-TARIM - TAGH-KUM. 403
scrub (jantak) growing amongst the dunes; these, one to two meters high, look as if they were perfectly new creations, and evidently they have established themselves here since the water deserted the river and its lakes. The poplars were still vigorous, and did not appear to be more than 15 or 20 years old. My guide, Toktasin Bek, discriminated between the Ettek-tarim and the old bed I have just mentioned, calling the latter, characteristically enough, the Western Jar kent-darja. It is said to have formerly joined the Tschertschen-darja some kilometers south of the point where we crossed it, that is to say a short day's journey north-west of the village of Lop. Just beyond the district of Pajek-tschapghan, where there is a poplar grove, we crossed a path coming from the village of Lop, and saw on it the fresh tracks of asses with their drivers. The inhabitants of Lop, as well as the people of Tscharklik, are reported to visit the bed of the Ettek-tarim in winter to gather jig-de berries; and all the way beyond Pajek-tschapghan the jigde bushes are very plentiful. This last name is also pronounced Pijek, and is said to be derived from a man who 5o to 70 years ago dug here a canal from the river. Immediately above that point the river divides into two branches, the western of which is also called Pajek-tschapghan. After that young poplars and tamarisks are quite numerous amongst the two-meter high dunes, the former frequently forming fairly dense »young» forest. Strange to say, kötäk, or »dead forest», is very rare, and during the course of the day was never more frequent than beside any other river-bank below which water is found.
Fig. 358. VIEW FROM THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ETTEK-TARIM.
The place in which we struck the Ettek-tarim proper was the Julghunlik-köl, or the Tamarisk Lake, though at the present time there are no tamarisks beside it; after that we followed the river-bed closely for the rest of the day. Of the former lake however we found nothing remaining except the name; but my guide was able to tell me, that there used to be a marginal lake here, perhaps a »boldschemal» of the same kind as those which are so common beside the existing Tarim.
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