Fig. 26. Curious mesa pillar, May 28th
CHEN proposed that he should go back to the lake-side camp next morning and stay there till the shepherds had been to the base camp and fetched Tagil. KUNG said that he would accompany CiEN on this errand of mercy.
Three and a half hours later they were back. Most fortunately the caravan had not yet started; Tagil was at the lake camp in excellent fettle, and would now accompany the caravan to camp No. 70.
We rolled away north-west and north between yardangs, passing one last living tamarisk. In a little while we were out on real gobi, regular gravel desert, in which TSERAT looked for his wheel-tracks.
THROUGH THE QURUQ-TAGH BY CAR
We had been driving for an hour when we reached a wide, dry stream-bed running down from the mountains, probably from Altmish-bulaq. Then we ascended a valley bordered by rocks, running N. N. W.
At Moholai-bulaq, two salt-springs surrounded by reed-beds, we found the tracks of the car and thenceforward followed them faithfully. They led us up through a gully that was said to come from Olon-tementu-bulaq, which lies among hills to the N. N. W. The hills turned by degrees into considerable mountains, and live tamarisks grew in the gully.
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