CHAP. XXXII.] LAST VISIT TO YOTKAN 485
of soil from the different strata which contain the ancient deposits and the silt that has buried them. I was, also, able to acquire an additional number of ancient coins, seals, terra-cottas, &c., the owners of which had not come forward on the former occasion. The most notable of these antiques was a tiny statuette in solid gold, representing a sitting monkey of exactly the same style and attitude as frequently found among the terra-cotta figurines from the same site.
On the morning of the 29th of April I left Yotkan for the canton
of Kara-kash, which forms the north-western edge of the oasis. I had not found a previous opportunity to visit it, and had now an additional reason to look it up before my final departure. Islam Beg, my faithful ` Darogha ' of the days of Karanghu-tagh and Dandan-Uiliq, had since been appointed one of the Begs of Kara-kash. Rightly or wrongly, he attributed his good fortune to my recommendation with the Amban. So he was anxious to show me
Kara-kash, both as his native place and the present sphere of his official functions. Both he and Badruddin Khan, the Afghan Aksakal, had followed me from Khotan and claimed the privilege of keeping me company up to the very border of the oasis.
The weather kept bright and clear, and made the day's ride most enjoyable. In the early morning we passed though Bizin, the market-place of the Borazan tract, on the high-road that leads from Zawa to Khotan. It was Monday, the local market-day, and the
BADRUDDIN KHAN AND AFGHAN TRADEß, KHOTAN.
IIIF Color HighRes
