here is too little known to allow us a guess regarding this road. But it is not impossible that the mountainous country north or N. N. E. of the lake of C'ainft XXXIII, may be easier than the region farther west, where the high Kwen-lun Mountains have been explored by Stein. Regarding the S. E. continuation of the old road from Camp XI VIII onwards, we will see that I was fortunate enough to find a comparatively comfortable passage, where high mountains and difficult passes could be avoided. And, after all, there may, of course, exist other passages east of my route which are still easier. Under such conditions the ruins we found may have been a resting place and a head camp to which provisions were brought in advance and stored until the final dash of the invasion group was undertaken and which was freshly equipped at the relay station in question. By other means this adventurous and audacious expedition could hardly have been successful. Other stations of the same kind, perhaps larger and more elaborated, may also have been placed along the road of the army of invasion. Perhaps in the future when the country is better known, this problem will be solved.
On October 281k we marched 19.8 km. S. E. to Cainft XLIX, where the absolute height was 5,205 m. or 52 m. above Camnp XL VIII, thus having a rise of I :381, or practically level ground. From Camp XL VIII the ground falls extremely slowly to the lake which, so far as can be judged from the whole formation of its basin, must be very shallow. We cross the very flat and broad watercourse from the north, and reach the shore, consisting of fine gravel and sand here and there interrupted with small elevated patches of grass. At several meters' distance from the edge of the water, there is a belt of black, rotten lake weeds, indicating that the salinity of the water is not so great that it kills vegetation. Quite fresh shore-lines proved that the lake grows bigger in summer when a certain amount of water from the melting snow comes down. Now everything was frozen and dead and hard as stone. To the south the lake was bounded by low hills. To the east the plain rose very slowly towards the base of the mountain ridge where our route was passing.
The latitudinal valley we are following is extraordinary in so far that it runs from N. W. to S. E., proving that there exist very conspicuous exceptions from the rule that the valleys and ranges in this part of Tibet stretch from W. S. W. to E. N. E. With low hills to our left and the lake for a while to our right, we continue S. E. over flat ground, very rich in yapkak and grass and millions of rabbits' holes. One herd of antelopes had 6o individuals. Dung of wild yak is abundant. One eagle was seen. It should be noted that wolves, though not numerous, live nearly everywhere where we had passed. Not a drop of water, nor any ice was seen during the march. But a large number of small watercourses from the eastern hills, directed W. S. W. to the lake, were crossed. They were very shallow, and appeared only as narrow barren ribbons in the grass steppe. Only one of them,
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