National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

BY TONG BACK TO KASHGAR.

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mountains and get a glimpse of the desert plains to the N. E. This large village is situated at some distance from the great river, and the intervening space is inundated in flood time. The river is even now magnificent ; its water is not so clear as at Tong and not so muddy as below Yarkand. The temperature of the water at noon was 15.6°. On both sides of the bed are low, flat hills of loose material.

At Kusherab we crossed the river on a ferryboat 14,3 m. in length. The

river had here a breadth of 78 m. and a velocity of a little more than 1 m. per second. The greatest depth was 3.14 m., and the average depth about 1.60 m. The volume of water would be about 125 cub. m. per second. From Kusherah to Yarkand, ferryboats function at six other places. During the highwater period, or for three months, the ferryboat of Kusheraó cannot be used on account of the great force of the river. Only suchis with íuluins are able always to cross it. Lower down where the current is slow, the ferryboats operate the whole summer.

At the left or northern side the road ascends a terrace some 1 o m. high consisting of fine yellow alluvium eroded by the present river; at some places it is vertically carved out by the water and great blocks of earth occasionally fall down into the river.

Chamsal is a large village with extensive cultivation, gardens and fields, and

roads zigzagging between grey clay walls. Kachung is another large village on the left bank, with broad irrigation canals from the river which here is divided into several branches. On the right bank as well there are large villages, one of them called Chimdu.

Kachung had 2 00 families. The whole population is Turki. On the road

to Yarkand only two villages were said to be inhabited by Tajiks, viz., Tokusmak and Ka/ía/a. Wheat, rice, maize. melons, apricots, apples, pears, and peaches are grown. Often two harvests, wheat and maize, are brought in from one field. Poplar, willow and mulberry are the most common trees. The inhabitants have great flocks of cattle and sheep. There is a direct road to Kargalik, crossing the river with Kachung's own ferryboat. To Yarkand is one day on horseback. In Kachungthere is no bazaar. In the winter the river is frozen and can be crossed everywhere. It is generally called Darya-i-Sarafshan, and gold is obtained from the sand in the bed. The name Yarkand-darya is in use only in and below Yarkand.

September 2 8th we travelled 25.8 km. N. N. E. and north to Yaka-arik where the altitude is 1,364 m., a fall of 182 m. or as 1 :142. We had still two hours' ride before we left the last cultivation of Kachung behind. To our left we have the whole way an old rounded erosion terrace corresponding to a similar one along the right bank and at a considerable distance.

The country is then desolate until we reach the village of Tumshuk-seraikaraul with a burial place and a little mosque. A direct road runs from this village