On the left we passed quite a small detached boss of a red colour, and saw a similar one rising from the level surface in front of us. Immediately south-west of the latter a number of fresh springs burst out of the ground, and conjure forth the little balghun oasis of Bagh-tokaj in the midst of the otherwise barren and desolate saj (alt. 3305 m.). The water from these springs runs together and gives rise to a stream which flows towards the north-east, and disappears in the ground in the vicinity of the boss above mentioned. Hydrographically this stream does not appear to belong to the system of the Jusup-alik, but like it dies away in the saj
after inclining more to the east. Thus, although these streams may often carry considerable volumes of water, their effective force is very small, in consequence not only of the aridity of the ground and of the atmosphere, but also of their intermittent character and short duration. We shall find that precisely the same causes are operative in the case of the Tscharklik-su, a stream which, although of considerable magnitude, never succeeds in travelling all the way down to the Kara-buran. As for the springs of Bagh-tokaj, it may be taken as certain that they are fed by the stream that flows down the transverse glen of At-atghan, and disappears into the ground soon after it issues from the glen, but here at Bagh-tokaj once more emerges into daylight.
At one point, in the vicinity of the little lake of Kara-tschoka, the rock was a green schist, dipping 84° towards the S. 45° E.
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