NUZTAGH PEAK, IN KUEN-LUEN RANGE.
CHAPTER XIII
TO THE HEADWATERS OF THE YURUNG-KASH
AT midday of the 17th of October I set out for my journey into the mountains, after taking a friendly leave of Akhun Beg, my white-haired host. A five rouble gold piece, presented in a little steel purse, as a return for the use of his garden, was accepted without much difficulty. I was glad to leave behind in Badruddin's care all stores and other articles not immediately needed. Nevertheless our baggage, including the survey instruments and food supplies for a full month, required ten ponies. The first march was luckily a short and easy one. For about six miles we proceeded south through cultivated land, dotted with hamlets, to the village of Jamada, not far from the left bank of the Yarung-kash. Beyond it the bare Dasht rises gently towards the foot of the mountains, which now stood clear of the haze that had veiled them at Khotan.
On the sandy plain south of Jamada I found a ` Tati ' with relics of ancient settlement. Fragments of pottery are strewn over the site, and some villagers brought me old coins, beads, and a few small seals, one showing the figure of a
206
IIIFカラー高解像度
