had no water in them, we went straight down a steep sloping terrace to the oasis of Oj-toghrak. This oasis, which is situated in a fairly well defined watercourse, bordered by hills, makes a pretty picture when seen from the top of the barren terrace, embowered as it is in refreshing greenery. The vegetation was here considerably more forward than in Kenki ; the poplars, willows, and mulberry trees all afforded plenty of shade. Of the mountains to the south we did not get one glimpse, notwithstanding that they were so near to us. I can quite excuse Marco Polo, who travelled by the southern caravan route, for not saying a single word about any mountains to the south. It is very probable that he did not see them owing to the atmosphere being heavily charged with dust, so that he may not have had the slightest suspicion of their presence; although, on the other hand, the direction in which the streams flow might have suggested the fact to him. All the way down to Oj-toghrak the water is derived from the Kilijang-darja, which upon emerging from the mountains appears to spread itself out like a fan over an extensive scree. Oj-toghrak lies 1820 m. above sea-level.
It only remains to describe our last day's march, namely the road from Ojtoghrak to Karghalik, which we traversed on 9th May. We crossed the stream of Oj-toghrak by a bridge, and for a space climbed up hills of detritus and loess until we came to a small threshold pass. After that the surface was practically level or but slightly undulating, and with the exception of thin scrub it was barren and desolate. Names occurring along this section of the road are Bel-kum, Sook-ghas, and Bujra-könäsi. From the last-named locality you go down to Bujra-kent, quite a large oasis with beautiful orchards, lying in a glen with a deep-sunk winding watercourse, which we crossed by a bridge. The ascent up to the terrace on the other side is rather steep. On our left we passed the village of Buksängö. Then followed yet another barren steppe, with scrub growing amongst sand and dust. This locality is called Kivun. The brook of Buksängö waters Bisch-arik, which is reached by a path from Teng-jaghatsch. The large glens which we crossed along this part of the route hardly reach all the way down to the great caravan road, and in any case it is seldom that their brooks get down as far. Thus the river of Bujra-kent reaches as far as Akin-lenger and Kosch-lenger and that of Oj-toghrak to Tschulaklenger.
At last we reached the village of Lenger, where we were met by the beks of Karghalik. Here the Uschak-basch distributes its water through several branches, the basins of which are separated from the stream of Kok-jar by a strip of desert. Then, having crossed over the last-named, we entered amongst the orchards of Karghalik, and once more found ourselves at an altitude of only 1341 m.
I then journeyed to Kaschgar by way of Jarkent, Kisil, and Jangi-hissar, a route which I have already described in Petermanns Mitteilung-en, Ergänzhft. No. 131.
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