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0253	Innermost Asia : vol.2
極奥アジア : vol.2

move together westwards until we reached the Konche-daryā. Then Afrāz-gul was to follow
the river south to Tikenlik, where he would connect his traverse with that brought by Lāl Singh
in January, 1913, from the south, and continue the survey of the Lop 'high road' along the
Yārkand-daryā to Kara-kum and along the Konche-daryā to Korla. I myself would turn to the
north and, moving across the desert, strike the ancient Ying-p'an–Korla route at the ruined watch-
station of Kurghān described by Dr. Hedin as the nearest to Ying-p'an.

We started on March 21st from our Ying-p'an camp and following the wide well-marked bed Move from
of the Kuruk-daryā head in a westerly direction, found it filled with marsh and luxuriant reed- head of
beds up to a point about one and half miles higher up.¹⁸ There several deep-cut ravines, which daryā.
represent the end of the Shindī river's drainage, join the bed from the north-north-west. It was
quite evident that the periodical floods which descend in the former account for the moisture to
be found in the Kuruk-daryā bed at this point.¹⁹ Similarly it appears very probable that the south-
western direction which, as already stated, the bed followed for some distance from here is a de-
flexion due to the alluvial deposits formed by the Shindī river's flood channels at their extremi-
ties. We were following what looked like an old trail leading westwards, and noticed that where
it crossed the mouth of certain channels, it was marked by tamarisk bundles embedded in these
channels as if intended to form a causeway over wet ground for laden camels. We made out
traces of this track, which had a decidedly old appearance, over a total distance of more than ten
miles from camp, in places where it had worn into the bare clay or shōr. No certain explanation
of its origin suggested itself.

After we had left the bank of the ancient river-bed, living Toghraks, so far plentiful, soon Dry beds
disappeared and dead trunks also became scarce. About three miles from camp we entered on crossed
a bare clay steppe, showing slight marks of wind-erosion and very scanty tamarisk scrub, mostly westwards.
dead. After travelling seven miles we struck a shallow but unmistakable river-bed some 50 yards
wide and, like the rows of dead trees near by, running approximately west to east. Dead reed-beds
covered the banks. The traces of the track reappeared beyond, and in one place, significantly
enough, lay along the top of a small clay terrace cut off by wind-erosion from neighbouring ground
of the same level. Either the track was distinctly old or else wind-erosion was proceeding rapidly
in this area. We had covered about ten miles when we reached a wide and well-defined dry river-
bed, over 300 yards across for the most part and lined with rows of dead branchless Toghraks
showing signs of great age. Its average depth seemed nowhere less than 10 to 12 feet ; but much
drift-sand lay within it.

This large bed came from the west and manifestly joined up in its farther course with that which Move to
we had traced on the preceding day's reconnaissance to a point south-west of Ying-p'an camp. Konche-
That it formed a connexion between the Kuruk-daryā and the present Konche-daryā bed—still, daryā.
as it proved, about five miles away to the west—was quite clear ; but, of course, no close estimate
could be formed of the time that had elapsed since it ceased to carry water. We followed the right
bank of the bed westwards for about a mile until it became more and more smothered under high
dunes ; we then turned off WSW. in order to make sure of reaching water before nightfall. We
crossed a succession of short but high ridges of sand, all aligned from north to south, before again
coming upon a dry river-bed, of much smaller size but showing signs of great age. All the dead

国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

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国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト 『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

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国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ