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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

THE THIRD CROSSING OF THE KASHGAR RANGE.

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the right without a road, yeilaks or tents. At the junction with the right tributary Kismak jilga two tents were pitched, and higher up nine amongst the yeilaks; Kismak jilga has a road to Kismak-davan and, on its S. E. side, to the Chu;nbusjilb a which joins the Keng-kol. Kismak-davan is flat and snow-covered. Finally from the right, or S. W., enters the Suggei jilg-a which is considerable and has groves of willows. Here a road goes to the pass of Ike-bel-davan, leaving Kara -lash- davan to the left and joining the Yalj5ak-lash jilga, Ike-bel-su and Keng--shvär. Ike-bel-davan is said to be covered by ice and gravel, and practicable only on foot.

The aul of Suget consisted of five tents of Kara-teïts. They intended to remain here four months, nearly the whole winter, after which they would wander to upper Merke, where they pass the summer. There is a good deal of snow in the winter at Suget, but no hard wind. I got some information about the Uluó art Pass farther N. W., and of the Buru-kös-davan which was said to be closed by snow 5 or 6 months every year. In 1895 I was to make a nearer acquaintance with the Ulug-arl. The Kusen-darya was said often to be so swollen in the summer that it could not be crossed except at a few well-known fords.

From Sug-et we had i is km. N. N. E. down the same valley to Chat, where the altitude is 2,876 m.; the descent is thus 139 m., and the rate as I :83. The road is good, there is alternating grass and gravel ; the valley is rather narrow, the snow gradually disappears, flocks of yaks are seen on the meadows. Only on the mountains the snow still remains. The rock is as hitherto black crystalline schist. The erosion terraces are well developed and pierced in vertical gorges by the tributaries. Below Kara-task jilga, which enters from the left, the main brook has about 4 cub. m. clean water per second in a bed full of gravel and blocks. From the right or east enters the khan-dösö jilg-a. Just below comes Kara-task from the left; it has 8 tents higher up; and on the pass, Kara-lash-davan, two karaul tents. Below Kara-lash enters, also from the left, the Kalmak-masar j ilg -a, without habitations, and a road. The same is the case with Bilauli jilg-a from the right. At Chat four tents were pitched inside of a wall of stone and earth. The people arrived a month ago and would soon

move to Sug et, where the wood is plentiful. The summer they pass at upper Merke.

The chief of Chai, Muhammed Tokta Bek, was Chong Bek or Grand Bek of Kara-lash and Merke with 7o tents, Gäjek with 4o tents, Chimgan with 6o tents, Khan-le,-ek with 4o tents and Kara-kul and Su-bashi with 5o tents. Most of his subjects were Kara-teïts, though at Chimg-an Yaman-tents also were living.

At Chai there is not much snow in the winter. The cold is not bad and the wind not hard.

Before reaching Chat we had left to our left side, or W. N. W., the continuation of the main valley which we had been following ever since Merke-bel. All the water from Merke, Boramsal, Kara-cash and other valleys pierces here the mountains