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『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

a shepherd grazing along the Yurung-kāsh and left them as a sort of legacy for me, whose passage
this way he had been expecting. Here I may conveniently mention that three months later, after
my return to Khotan, Kāsim Ākhūn brought me a stick (see p. 1283), about 3½ feet long, bearing
lengthways about six lines of writing, running from right to left and at first sight resembling Pah-
lavi. It had been found some time before along with two others, apparently uninscribed, on the top
of a tamarisk-cone in the jungle belt west of Islāmābād ; it was placed vertically with one end stick-
ing out of the sand. The people had promptly acclaimed the hillock as a 'new Mazār' of some
unknown Muhammadan saint, and reburied the stick there. But Kāsim Ākhūn, remembering my
desire of 'old things', had made bold to abstract it from this spot of newly started local worship and
now offered it as a farewell gift. I have no special reason to doubt the substantial accuracy of his
report, but regret that the much-faded writing has not yet been deciphered. The weathering which
the surface has undergone where not protected by ink suffices to prove the genuine nature of the
relic.

Remains at
Khitai-oilik. On April 13 I set out from Islāmābād, and on the day following visited, from my camp at Kiri-
gul-öghil, the remains of which Kāsim Ākhūn and others knew near a grazing ground on the Kara-
kāsh River, and which are called Khitai-oilik, 'the Chinese dwellings' (Map No. 27. B. 1). I found
there about eight rude structures scattered over an area of bare drift-sand, circ. 140 yards across.
Their walls, made of Toghrak posts and vertically placed tamarisk branches, stood to a height of
3 or 4 feet where protected by sand or accumulations of dung. The abundance of the latter showed
that the place must have been occupied as a shepherd station ; but how long ago it was impossible
to determine. Pottery débris covered the ground in plenty, but, as the specimens show, it was all
of coarse make and unlike in substance that found at datable ancient sites. Thus there was nothing
to detain me at this northernmost of Khotan kōne-shahrs.

OBJECTS FOUND AT SITE SOUTH-WEST OF KARA-SAI

K.S. 001. Stucco relief. Standing fig. of Buddha in
abhaya-mudrā. Hair and uṣṇīṣa 'stippled'. Features well
modelled. Nimbus has inner border of lotus wreath ; over
shoulders, points of flame-work ; conventional drapery.
Bare feet rest on lotus pedestal. Fig. complete, only sides
of vesica (made separately) wanting. Good work. Very
hard white plaster of Paris stucco, the surface apparently
treated with a smoother engobage of same material ;
fused, and almost resembling a porcelain. For an analysis
of a similar piece of plaster from Kara-sai site, see App. D.
Fr. of background, full of fibre, is of same plaster. From
same mould, K.S. 002, 003. 2-c, 0022, 0023, 0027.
8″ × 3¾″. Pl. X.

K.S. 002. Stucco relief fr. Buddha from same mould
as K.S. 001. Feet and pedestal lost. Same porcelain-
like stucco. 7″ × 2⅝″.

K.S. 003. a-c. Stucco relief frs. Three heads of
Buddha from same mould and of same material as K.S.
001. 2½″ × 2⅜″.

K.S. 004. Stucco relief fr. Head of Buddha with
plain nimbus. Smaller scale than K.S. 001. Round
edge of vesica runs lotus wreath and outer flame border.
Hard white stucco, as K.S. 001. See K.S. 007.
2″ × 2¾″.

K.S. 005. Stucco relief fr. Head and body to waist of

nude male fig. with nimbus. Upper arms lowered, and
forearms raised at angle with them, but broken off, the R.
at wrist, the L. in middle. In front of R. forearm is
portion of wreath. Two bands from corners of cloak on
back pass over either shoulder and are tied upon chest ;
cf. K.S. 0011. Very hard white stucco similar to that of
K.S. 001. 2⅜″ × 2⅜″. Pl. X.

K.S. 006. Stucco relief fr. Head of elephant from
front. Trunk curled up, broken ; tusks have been separately
inserted, but are lost. Good work in low relief. Hard
white stucco. 4⅜″ × 2⅜″.

K.S. 007. Stucco relief fr. Fig. of Buddha exactly like
K.S. 001, and in same material, but smaller. Plain
nimbus ; vesica round whole fig. has flame border outside
lotus wreath. Upper part of vesica gone. From behind
shoulders pointed flames rise (cf. Chai. 0027). No colour.
From same mould, K.S. 004, 0010, 0024. 5⅛″ × 3⅜″.
Pl. X.

K.S. 008. Stucco relief fr. of lotus wreath from large
vesica. Three bands of petals, a double fillet, and a bead
band, repeated. Same material as K.S. 001. No colour.
From same mould, K.S. 0020, 0021. 2⅜″ × 1⅜″.

K.S. 009. Stucco relief fr. of jewelled band. Oval
surrounded by two mouldings and a row of beads. Traces
of red. Same material as K.S. 001. 2⅜″ × 2″. Pl. X.