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August 7.-A long march of 20 miles brought us to Hattat camp.
While lunching here a couple of Chinese men came into my tent. They were convoying 100 ponies from li to Peking for Imperial use. It is interesting to note that they take the northern and longer route instead of the southern one by Urumtsi, Lanchow, &c., to Peking. This is because of the abundance of grass in Mongolia, and to allow the animals plenty of time to get fat en route; they only do one stage (20 miles roughly) a-day. They will have taken five months to do the journey by the time they reach Peking. The whole party consists of twenty Chinamen, of whom two are small officers. They have a large number of sacks of fodder for the ponics, and require as many as thirty camels per stage for the transport of these. One of the men was a Manchu Solon from Ili, and he gave some very useful information respecting the roads. He reported that all was quiet in the Hsincheng Province. He was very anxious to buy my camera, then my watch, and lastly my aneroid; and my servant told him with great hauteur that I was not a merchant, but a very big man, so I had to comfort him by saying he would be able to buy the same things, only better, in Tientsin!
We slept the night at Haranudyn, 24 miles further on, on the shores of a small circular lake which is rapidly diminishing. We passed the Ili ponies en route; they looked a wretched lot. Of the 100, the Emperor takes 20, the officials 40, and friends the rest--a very convenient arrangement for the friends, who get their ponies cheap and pay no entry tax.
The
August S.-Entering the mountains 14 miles after breaking camp, we kept up the small stream which feeds the Haranudyu lake and reached Korude at mile 12. mountains are steep and rugged, with smooth turf on the lower slopes. We entered the territory of the Saunoin tribe to-day, the Chief's encampment lying a day or two to the north of Korude camp. The weather was bad to-day, and a mountain mist clung to us for many hours. All the natives turned out in long, red, blanket cloaks, of Russian make. They are most useful garments; they are said to cost 17 dollars (34s.).
Continuing up the Korude valley we descended into another valley, with smooth, grassy slopes on either side leading up to crags. On reaching the bottom of the valley we crossed it to Tatz camp, a distance of only 6 miles from Korude. The valleys from now on are full of rich grass, on which many herds feed. They are well watered and sheltered, and support a fairly large population. They would make excellent farm lands. In the Tatz Tai valley there lives a Chinese trader of the usual type.
Ascending from the camp in a north-westerly direction over grassy slopes, we descended into another valley, that of the River Tatz, a shallow but rapid little stream some 20 yards broad. Climbing out of this valley we descended into another one and camped for the night at Hottuk, a distance of 14 miles from Tatz Tai. Another Chinese trader lives here. Between Tatz Tai and Tatz river the mountains begin to be really grand.
August 9.A 26-mile march brought us to Sharagolcho, where there is a small stream in which there was little water. The valley was, however, bright with grass, yourts were more numerous than usual, and the number of cattle unusually great. Here we saw herds of yak for the first time.
Crossing the small stream we came over some low mountains into the Tui valley, and halted at a camp of the same name after a march of some 10 miles. The Tui flows down swiftly over a stony bed in a series of channels, two of which are at least 15 yards broad and 8 inches deep. It receives many nountain torrents in its course from north to south, among them the Sharagolcho, and, becoming a small river, flows into the Gobi, where it forms a small lake.
Among other wild flowers of the district the purple thistle grows in some profusion. I am told the Mongols use the leaf of this as tinder, but this lacks confirmation,
August 10.-A march of 19 miles brought us into the valley of the Ortagol and to the Tai of Ortaharata, and another 3 miles to the valley and Tai of Ologoi; the stream is rapid, and though only 6 to 9 inches deep is 15 to 20 yards broad. river further south.
It joins the Ut At Ologoi there is a Russian-speaking Mongol, who must be of real use to the Russian traders who come as far south as this to buy wool and skins. He greeted ine warmly, and refused to believe that I was not Russian and could not under- stand his language. As I was neither Chinese nor, Mongol I must, of course, be Russian. He became rather offensive and had to be turned out of my camp.
August 11.-We reached Ut camp on the Utain Gol at mile 10; the stream flows rapidly over a stony bed; it is 24 feet deep, 30 to 40 yards wide, and is difficult to ford. It is probably joined further south by the Ologoi, instead of the latter stream flowing southwards to form a lake for itself in the Gobi (as Russian maps mark it).
Crossing another channel of the Ut we dropped over the mountains to a largish lake
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at mile 7; half a mile later, at the bottom of the valley, a caravan track crossed ours at right angles; this track runs to Urga across the heart of the Khangai range. Climbing out of the valley we dropped into that of the Baiderik, and reached the camp of the same name at mile 194 on the further side of the stream. The Baiderik was very full, the result of summer rains, and the crossing was a little perilous for a low cart. There were two main channels and several smaller ones. Of the two chief channels one was 40, the other 70 yards wide; the water, some 21 feet deep, was swirling down at a great pace over a stony bed. When joined by its tributaries, the Ut, Djak, and other mountain streams, it must present a formidable appearance where it issues from the mountains on to the desert. It forms a lake in the Gobi, and is the most serious of all these streams which flow southwards from the Khangai Mountains. A waterman is in attendance on the banks to pilot caravans across the stream, and his services are very necessary.
August 12.-We reached the camp of Djak 9 miles from Baiderik. A Russian trader has a small store here; he came across the river to inspect me, and asked a number of inquisitive questions from the Mongols concerning myself and my camel loads. A Chinese caravan was in camp at the same time from Tarbagatai, convoyed by a small official in charge of 400 ponies for Government use.
Ascending from the Djak valley we crossed the ridge which parts the waters, which flow southwards and lose themselves in the thirsty Gobi, from those which flow northwards to form the large lakes of North-Western Mongolia, and descended into the valley of the Chobolgol, one of the headwaters of the Jabkon river. We reached Chobol camp at mile 14, crossing the stream just before doing so. The stony bed is some 100 yards wide, and there are a couple of channels each 20 yards broad, with perhaps a foot of water in each. At Chobol we came in contact with another detachment of the Tarbagatai ponies.
August 13.-Keeping down the valley of the Chobol stream for 15 miles we reached the camp of Bombom. We passed two mobs of ponies en route for Peking. One lot consisted of 100 or more, the customary tribute to the Emperor. The other lot amounted to 1,500 going to Chih-li for army purposes. Keeping down the same valley, the stream taking a different name according to the settlements passed, we reached Ubur Chergelent after another 18 miles.
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August 14.-We continued down the valley. Dr. Gatrell wrote in 1902: "Here I could see no trace of (at Ubur Chergelent) the road to Uliassutai bifurcates.' Gatrell's track over the mountains to the north-west, but at mile 1 from camp a broad mountain torrent was bringing down a great volume of water to join the river of the valley and this may have been Gatrell's route as it is probably dry except after heavy rains. The only other possibility was at mile 3 when a smaller torrent was coming down We from the north-west, but this latter seems too far from Ubur Chergelent camp. reached Arachergelent at mile 15. Some thirty-six ox carts were coming along bringing stores from a Chinese shop at Urga to one at Uliassntai. These carts which cannot come over the mountains but have to come round by the desert and Sair Ussu are taking fifty-five days to do the journey.
Continuing down the river as far as its confluence with the Buyuntugol we covered a distance of 8 miles over easy ground. At the meeting of the two streams we turned north-west and kept up the valley of the Buyuntogol in a northerly direction for another 6 miles, and fording the river reached the camp of Hochertu. The other stream is At the place known here as the Sharoshagol and the two combined form the Jabkon. where they meet there is a good deal of difficult marshy ground.
We forded the Buyantugol at what might be called its summer height; it was 200 yards broad with small patches of sand here and there so thinly covered with water that they were almost islands. The greatest depth was a little over 2 feet, but a winding course has to be followed and the services of a waterman are necessary to show the ford,
A Russian trader is established at this Tai. He was extremely inquisitive and rode by the side of my cart for sone distance closely inspecting all the contents (rifle, guns, &c.), and only left nie at the camp after telling a Mongol to find out all about me. This trader only comes here in the summer for wool and hair which he washes in the stream, for which purpose he has erected wooden sheds. He gives no money for the wool and hair but barters tea and Russian goods.
We bought some Mongol mushrooms here; they grow plentifully in the neighbour- hood. They were as dirty in appearance as the English fungus but are eaten readily by the Mongols, who send them also to market at Peking where they are considered delicacies. In the capital they cost 24 taels a catty; here we bought two catties giving
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