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0540 Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.1
Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.1 / Page 540 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000216
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414   THE TSCHERTSCHEN DESERT.

and to this the forest bears unmistakable witness. When the river first cut a path for itself through this part of the desert, its banks were perfectly barren, and continued so for some time afterwards. But as the water extended, so did the vegetation begin to establish itself. The first to appear is usually the kamisch, and it is not long in getting root on the banks, which it helps to consolidate. Then comes the poplar-forest, which spreads slowly and with great deliberation. Beside the lower Tarim, for instance, it has spread to only a very slight extent since Prschevalskij's first visit, that is twenty-five years ago; since that date only a few very young poplars have succeeded in establishing themselves. The same holds good of the Ettektarim, as we can indeed see by its forest. This in the north is vigorous and covers a wide area, but in the south it is quite young, that being the quarter in which it last secured a footing. But the Ettek-tarim retained its position for such a short time, that its southern forest tracts never reached maturity ; whereas the northern forest, having struck root earlier, had a longer time in which to grow. Everywhere throughout these desert regions where we find strips of kötäk or »dead forest», as for example on the north-east continuation of the Kerija-darja, the banks of the Kuruk-darja, and in several other places which will be described in the sequel, we may be quite sure that water formerly flowed or stood — that there were either rivers or lakes there which have now disappeared.

We encamped on an expanse of hard level clay, absolutely free from sand — the bottom of an old marginal lake. And that there were such lakes is evidenced by names like Julghunlik-köl and Kultschak-köli. This last is of particular interest, Kultschak being a man's name, and the lake which once existed here bore his name because he claimed the exclusive right to fish in it. This justifies the inference, that the district was once inhabited, for Kultschak must have had his hut somewhere near the lake from which he supported himself and his family. Another name, Kurban Kullu-jatghan, bears testimony on the other hand to nothing more than a trivial episode, being a simple tomb inscription intimating that — Here rests Kurban Kullu. Toktasin Bek knew this man as a fisherman from Kara-köl, who, falling ill whilst on the way home from a journey, died and was buried on the bank of the Ettek-tarim.

Here the snow still lay in a few places on the northern slopes of the dunes and under the shade of the trees, showing at all events that the snow-fall had extended thus far. This day the temperature rose to + 4°.2 C. Spring comes rather swiftly in these regions.

From the tamarisk-mounds beside our camp, which were fully to m. high, I enjoyed a pretty extensive view. On the west the sand extends uninterruptedly northwards; on the other hand just at this spot there is a breach in the sand on the east, and it is worthy of note that the breach lies exactly on the west-southwest continuation of the basin of the old lake of Lop-nor, which probably for a long time prevented the transportation of sand from that quarter. Still it is probable that the breach may owe its existence to some other unascertained cause, for on the north of it the sand-accumulations not only continue, but gradually increase as one advances.

On the i 7th February we continued our journey towards the north and northwest. Beyond the district of Tokusi-kok-alasi, or the Nine River-arms, the bed of