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0661 Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2
Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2 / Page 661 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000213
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by some furious barks; but nobody gave heed to his
warning until next morning we came upon the huge foot-
prints of the beast, which could be traced for over six miles
along the caravan track from the Tarim.
We crossed the latter by a shepherds' ferry on the
evening of April 27th, and after a heavy thunderstorm
during the night were regaled next morning by a glorious
vision of the big snowy range far away to the north of
Ak-su. A huge ice-clad massif towering above the rest was,
on the strength of the Russian map, identified by us as
Khan-tengri, the highest known peak of the T'ien-shan,
some hundred and thirty miles away in a straight line. It
was a most refreshing welcome from the great 'Mountains
of Heaven'; but within a few hours it vanished for good in
the dust haze.
During the three long marches which carried us to the
'New Town' of Ak-su, I had ample opportunities for
studying the striking contrast between the abundance of
water available for irrigation in the big snow-fed river of
Ak-su and the scanty and careless cultivation carried on
in the narrow village belt along it. Here the undeveloped
condition of what might become a series of flourishing oases
had manifestly nothing to do with inadequate water. The
difference between Khotan and Ak-su was brought home
to me also by the strong 'Tartar' look and the churlish
ways of the people (Fig. 300). A strong infusion of Kirghiz
blood was subsequently proved by my anthropometrical
observations.
At the district headquarters of Ak-su I found an excellent
camping-place in the shady garden attached to a Beg's
suburban mansion (Fig. 299), and next day had the great
joy of greeting again my old Mandarin friend, P'an Ta-jên,
the Tao-t'ai (Fig. 301). He looked as hale and was as
kindly and simple in manners as when I last saw him at
Khotan seven years before, and his scholarly interest in all
my explorations remained unabated. The dignified but
peaceful post at Ak-su just suited his learned habits and
serenely disinterested ways. For him there was no chance
of becoming a Nabob in any administrative charge, and I
often wondered inwardly how a man of his honesty and