THE LAND OF WITHERING RIVERS 215
south of the main stupa. The discovery illustrates how completely even large and massive ruins may be concealed among sand dunes and tamarisk mounds. On my first visit to Tuholo I hunted for this fort, of which I had learned the approximate location at Endereh, but failed to find it. Later, with a new guide, I tried again, and found a large structure of mud rising twenty feet above us, not over two hundred yards from our previous route. It was completely concealed on one side by a huge tamarisk mound.
From the fort I desired to go straight south to some ruins of which I had heard as being located at Serteck, on the Cherchen road near Baba Kul. Both guides agreed that to get there we must go six miles southwest to Korgach on the Endereh River, twelve miles southeast down the river, and six miles northeast along the road to Baba Kul. That meant a journey of twenty-four miles, which would require two days for the camels. Having never been direct from Tuholo to Baba Kul, the men did not believe it possible to do so. They were utterly incredulous when I said that the distance was only ten miles, and we could reach Baba Kul in a day. They felt sure that we should get lost and would suffer the agonies of thirst. When we finally finished our slow, winding course among a maze of huge tamarisk mounds, we emerged on the open reed fields of the zone of vegetation close to Baba Kul. One guide became as sulky as a spoiled child because his gloomy predictions had proved wrong. The other, an innocent, boyish old man, clapped his hands and, laughing aloud, exclaimed :—
" It's so, it 's so. Here we are at Baba Kul. We've come in one day instead of two. The Sahib was right. There is
IIIFカラー高解像度
