FROM THE KONTSCHE-DARJA TO THE FOOT OF THE KURUK-TAGH. 5
expedition from which I have just quoted. This man was one of the few natives who knew where the spring of Altmisch-bulak is situated, for it was absolutely necessary to make that spring the base for further investigations in the desert to the south.
I set out from my headquarters camp at Jangi-köl on 5th March, taking with me a flying caravan of a few camels and men, and one horse. This excursion and the geographical discoveries it led to I will now proceed to describe, referring to my previous book, Central Asia and Tibet, for an account of the equipment of the caravan.
Fig. 2. AT DILPAR.
At first our route led towards the north-north-west, across steppe whereon grew a few toghraks. Then we rode through the village of Ak-tarma, reported then to consist of 7 ujlik, the bek's ujlik containing 4o persons, the others 4 to 5 each. Thence a path runs to Tägirmän, on the great highway, a place of 4 to 5 ujlik. Beyond Ak-tarma we soon passed, on the right, the village of Dschan Kulu (also pronounced Dschan Kuli), consisting of several huts and homesteads, all deserted. Its former inhabitants were Tungans, who subsequently flitted to Kara-kum near Schinalgha. A bridge led across the Jaman-ilek, the river-arm already mentioned. It was here very deep, and flowed at the bottom of a deeply trenched bed, though at the time we crossed it it was ice-bound. The current is said however never to be very great. On the left we then passed Dschan Kuli-örtäng, or the Station of Dschan Kuli, situated on the great highway between Korla, Dural, and Tscharklik. Just at the point where we bisected this road at right angles there is a mill. On the right we had next a miniature oblong lake, covered with ice; evidently it occupies the site of a former river-bed, and it is hemmed in by kamisch all round. Shortly after that we crossed over a pretty big boldschemal filled with ice-bound water. According to one of my older guides, this river-bed, known as the Kona-tägirmän, was formerly
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