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0421 Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.1
Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.1 / Page 421 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000213
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CH. XXII

PREPARATIONS AT NIYA   265

years after my former journey. Last, but not least, there was information about fresh ruins discovered in the vicinity of the old site.

From Ibrahim, " the miller," my old guide, who had first come upon inscribed tablets there, I learned that

a party of Niya villagers and ` Kalandars,' or religious mendicants, from Imam Ja'far Sadik, stimulated, no doubt, by the success of my previous explorations, had gone out in the winter of 1902 to search at the ` Kone-shahr ' for

treasure.' The hoped-for gold did not reward their enter-

prise ; but in the course of several days' roaming some of the adventurers had come upon ruins which were described as situated a day's march to the north-east of those I had been able to sight and explore. Ibrahim himself had been tempted back into the desert two years before my return, and striking westward had traced a large group of ` old houses ' hidden away among sand-hills some miles beyond the western edge of the area previously surveyed. It was gratifying to hear that on both occasions prolonged snowfall had kept the treasure-seeking parties from any serious attempt at burrowing into the ruins.

Guided by this information, I decided to take with me

as large a band of labourers as my available iron tanks and goat-skins would allow me to keep supplied with water, and to push on excavations rapidly. All of the diggers who had accompanied me on my first expedition and were still at N iya, a dozen in number, joined again at the shortest notice. What with the example set by my ` old guard,' the prospect of fair pay, and the assurance derived from the arrangements of my first expedition, the rapid recruitment of nearly forty additional men was accomplished without much difficulty. Muhammad Yusuf, the Beg of Niya, a pleasant old man, worked hard to procure within a single day's halt all the supplies and additional camels needed.

e proved a relation of Islam Beg of Kara-kash, and,

having heard of the latter's promotion through my good offices, was doubly eager to help. What, as a new arrival at Niya, he lacked in local knowledge was amply made up by Ibrahim Beg. The gratified looks of the villagers, who thronged to my camp to welcome Ibrahim Beg back again