sence of watercourses showed that its floor was practically horizontal. On the other hand it contained an abundance of pools, several of which appeared to have been formed by the heavy rain that was still falling without intermission, and consequently they were only temporary. On the east this valley was bounded by a rather large mountain-range, though to the south-east the mountains were lower, and it was for a pass in that direction that we now directed our steps; beyond it we found two others. The highest of the three reached an altitude of 5 too ni. All three were situated in secondary spurs, between which swollen brooks were flowing down towards the south-west; these no doubt formed the small sheets of water at some distance from our route, or possibly they only flowed through them. Here cropped out a close, hard, fine-grained rock at 80° S. Gravel here and there; otherwise all soft material, bearing miserable grass, moss, and flowers. Marmots, hares, and ravens were numerous; of the bigger animals we saw only some antelopes and a kulan. After a short intermission the rain began again with redoubled violence. Dense, black clouds encircled us on every side. But the rain did not fall out of them dropwise as it usually does, but it literally came in long connected streams, which splashed and spouted high when they struck the ground. Everything was wet and soppy, and our horses and mules, off which the water ran in bucketsful, ploughed their way through what was one continuous quagmire of clay.
After we had crossed over the third pass, the route we were following became still more distinct. The country was very undulating and four or five times we crossed over flat offshoots by means of easy passes. In the glens between flowed brooks, which gradually ran together to form a larger one, and it in its turn emptied itself into a river. This we caught glimpses of winding along a broad open valley some distance to our left. On the farther, that is its left, side the river was bordered by
Heil i n, 7onrney in Central Asia. III. 64
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