North of the Kuruk-tagh a road runs west from Singer to the divan, or »pass», of Suget-bulak, passing on the way Tallik ; Tschong-aghis, where there is usually a pool of rain-water; Lo-tschen; Da-so-cho; and Davan, which is reached on the third day. Another route leads from Gen-so-chola, viâ Toghrak-bulak and Uschak-tal, to Kara-schahr; this is stated to traverse good and relatively level ground, and not to cross over a single pass. Another route leads from Po-dschun-sa viâ Sin-sen-schi and the same Toghrak-bulak to Uschak-tal. The frequent occurrence of the name Toghrak-bulak would seem to indicate that poplars are by no means rare in these mountainous regions. The names Atschik-bulak and Schor-bulak suggest that the springs are often salt.
The following list of names, drawn from Kosloff's account of his journey, proves that my guide Abdu Rehim was particularly trustworthy, and that his information may be relied upon, even when, as later on, I was compelled to trust to him alone. On another occasion I subsequently had an opportunity to check the information he gave me, and found it to be exceptionally accurate. With a few omissions, the names recorded by Kosloff are as follows: — Pasa Bekning-bulak, Usun-bulak, Julghun-tuse, Assa-schahri, Atschik-bulak, Arpischme (Är-pischme), Kisilsinir, Dundiosen, Muchursejn, Basch-toghrak, Bodschante (salt-lake, situated about the middle of the Luktschin depression), Schor-bulak, Igertschi-tagh (Egertschi), Gensocholo, Uschak-tal, Kisil-tagh, Podschunsa. Most of these names agree with those which were given to me. In some cases violence has been done to their orthography, but even then it is not difficult to identify them. Certain of the names given to me are absent in Kosloff's book; and no doubt there are several other districts in this part of the Kuruk-tagh that bear names. In a later chapter (XIX) I shall, in another connection, reproduce extracts from Kosloff's description of this part of the Kuruk-tagh.
One portion of the same traveller's account of the region around Jing-pen is possessed of such great interest, and throws so much light upon the geographical and hydrographical changes which have taken, and are taking, place in the northern part of the Lop country, that I cannot pass it over in this connection. During the. course of the winter of 1893-94 Kosloff travelled from Jing-pen to Turfan-karaul on the Kontsche-darja. On the sketch-map that accompanies his discussion of the Lop-nor we find a »dry river-bed» entered immediately south of Jing-pen. I have already briefly cited, in the first chapter of the present volume, Kosloff's description of this river-bed at »Empen». In Lop-nor he writes thus with regard to it: »After we had left the belt of vegetation at Empen behind us, we came to a »dead» riverbed, presenting at first the appearance of a wide stretch of saline soil, and then gradually assuming the aspect of a trough-like channel extending south. Scattered about the numerous windings of the latter there are a goodly number of dead toghrak stems, several of them still standing upright, others half buried in the sand. Indeed the »dead» hollow is likewise filled with sand, the biggest dunes having piled themselves up in proximity to the belt of living vegetation on the bank. On our way we crossed a belt of sandy barkhans, which extended north-west in the shape of a short and rather narrow (1 o versts at most) wedge, while to the east-southeast the sandy desert extended as far as we were able to see.»
IIIFカラー高解像度
