RECORDS OF THE JOURNEY
crossed a large, pond-like hollow by an apparently properly constructed embankment. About 4 miles further on we passed a river, a couple of fathoms wide, coming from the N, at the bottom of a gully 20 fathoms wide and covered with reeds. The local people call it Ling-to-ho. A little later we crossed two slightly broader river beds with similar watercourses. In one of them we surprised a fairly large wolf which decamped at a slow trot — an unnecessary precaution, as our rifles were on the arbah; even if I had had my rifle, I doubt if I should have had the energy to take off my gauntlets in the bitter cold and fire.
Just across the river valley stand the extensive ruins of the village of Su-chia-tan, destroyed during the Dungan revolt. A small impanj and a couple of miaos were visible among the ruins of the former houses. The village extended for several miles and penetrated. a good distance into a wood, where inhabited houses gradually appeared among the ruins. We crossed a similar river bed and about a mile further on we came to the San-tao-kow bazaar in the same wooded area. There is a lot of game in the neighbourhood, especially kiyiks and pheasants. The road was good. In some places it had cut deep into the soil. During the 6th Chinese month (July according to our calendar) the water in the rivers sometimes obstructs traffic for 2 or 3 days.
The San-tao-Kow bazaar and its immediate neighbourhood contain 84 houses, a dozen shops, 3 sarais and a mapoza station. Four men are posted here. N of the bazaar lies the village of Udago with 36 households; the houses are visible from the road. To the E of it Sydago with 28 and Tunghu with 34 houses; to the NW Sanshuiliang with 6o houses. SE of Su-chia-tan (the village is in ruins) lies the village of Sydiatan, i.e. approximately W of Santao-Kow, with 18 houses and an impanj, in which the garrison of San-tao-Kow is encamped. It is under the command of a tusy and its strength is nominally 1 in. It is also under the command of the Hsietai at Ansi and its organisation is similar to that of the militia already described. Judging by the name »tiao wan in», it must originally have been stationed by a bridge there. There is snow at San-tao-Kow up to the 2nd Chinese month, i /2 arshin in depth. Rain is rare, it falls between the 4th and 8th Chinese months. Easterly burans are frequent in winter and spring. In summer they are rare.
During the night before last the weather changed. When we left in the morning, there .November 26th. were not more than —io° R. and we had the wind behind us. Immediately to the E of Town of San-tao-Kow we entered a river valley which we followed for a time. The water was a couple Turnen hsien. of fathoms wide and very low. The local people call it the river San-tao-Kow. On the other side of the river is a level plain; for a mile or two very little grass, after which it becomes a barren plain of gravel. The ruins of a sarai lie about 6 miles from San-tao-Kow, by the side of the road. In the N, parallel to the road, at a distance of about 5 z /2 miles, a line of villages and trees is visible. They belong to the Yumen district, the boundary of which is formed by the river San-tao-Kow.
About to miles from the ruin we reached an elevation in the ground which came from the north, and crossed the road. The cultivated district of Yumen begins here. From the top the regular lines of a town wall can be distinguished on the horizon at distance of many miles. The road intersects the small rise running N of the town along a small valley and
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