National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

seen, clear proof that the annual supply of water brought down by the river was still sufficient
here for vegetation to bind the sandy alluvium deposited by each year's summer flood.

Our route beyond, that day and also on the following day, May 20th, lay along the jungle First
belt that lines the right bank of the easternmost bed of the delta. On the Saī overlooking this Mongol
three badly decayed towers of clay were passed before we reached the ruined fort known as Bahān- encamp-
durwuljin (' the big fort '), close to the river bank. It consisted of an enclosure, 45 feet square, ments.
within walls 11 feet thick, built of bricks 18″ × 9″ × 7″. It appeared to be of distinctly later date
than the small forts near Ta-wan. The belt between this branch of the river and the next one
westwards contained abundant vegetation and great stretches of meadow-like ground. It was
therefore not surprising to find several Mongol encampments when we crossed to that side in the
vicinity of the fort. Though the nights were still refreshingly cool, the marching in the heat of the
day had now begun to tell severely on the camels, and those hired from Mao-mei had broken down.
So we were doubly glad that the rich grazing which we here came upon gave a chance of securing
fresh transport, not indeed without delay and trouble, from the neighbouring camps and from
those found near our next camp at Suslun-tora.

The ruined enclosure called Ekki-durwuljin, ' the little fort ', on the right bank lay some Ruined
distance off our route, and I was unable to visit it. It was stated to be of the same construction as forts.
Bahān-durwuljin, but smaller. Their position at the two ends of a favourite grazing ground
suggested that they were meant as places of refuge for parties encamped in the neighbourhood in
case of marauding attacks. Before this a decayed watch-tower built of bricks, 15″ × 8″ × 3″ in
size, had been encountered at a point of the route known as Sharakure-sanje. Its position in relation
to the two forts suggested that the track we had followed so far marked a route which had been
regularly frequented during earlier as well as more recent periods.

After we had covered the first few miles beyond Suslun-tora (Map No. 45. b. 2) on May 21st, Change of
the scenery along our route underwent a very distinct change. So far, with the fine groves of scenery
Toghraks lining the river-bed, always in rows parallel to its course, and with the luxuriant vegeta- beyond
tion extending as far as the eye could reach westwards, the picture was such as I imagined might Suslun-tora.
have met the eyes of travellers by the ancient Chinese high road through Lou-lan, where it passed
jungle belts at the head of the Kuruk-daryā delta that were still regularly watered by the river.
But very soon our route, thereafter lying constantly within a mile or two of the left bank of the
easternmost river branch, entered ground very different in character. Instead of soft sandy
alluvium, the soil, within a short distance from the river bank, was now everywhere gravel. Vegeta-
tion was scanty and often, where convex bends of the bed were skirted, the ground was perfectly
bare. Reed-beds were rare and, like the groves of Toghraks met at intervals close to the river-bed,
were confined to places where this formed a concave bend with its left bank, thus offering a
better chance for the trees to be reached by flood water.

For over forty miles of march on May 21st to 23rd there was no change in this dreary, mono- Descent
tonous scenery. On the right bank of the river branch that we followed, called by our Mongol along
guides Ümne-gol, the strips of vegetation appeared quite as confined and narrow. But to add to Ümne-gol.
the desolate look of the landscape, big ridges of dunes appeared on that side between Bōtu-bōrü
and Ulan-sukhe (Map No. 45. c. 1), close to the east of the bed, a clear indication that the area
beyond is not reached by the floods of the river. As we looked westwards of our route beyond
Camp 144, the distant line of Toghraks marking the course of the Nārin-gol, the next river-bed on
that side, showed for some time across the flat expanse of gravel and was then lost sight of for good.
During those marches, until we passed Dzusulun-tsakha on the third day, only two small Mongol
camps were encountered, and these too were on the move to grazing grounds farther north. But