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shrub rising at mile 12 on to the plain again. The limit of this depression to the south is a long narrow ridge resembling an artificial wall some 20 feet above the plain level and of uniform height. It is white in appearance, and it is curious in formation, being often split up into small islands, which resemble the huge pedestals of some giant fortification. A few hundred yards later Lake Ebinoor is in sight on our right. At mile 15 the track dips into another depression half-a-mile wide and some 6 miles long- an old salt lake. The ground here was of dazzling whiteness, and travelling was exces- sively difficult, the soil breaking away from under the camels' feet each step forward that they advanced. Climbing out of the depression we steered our way across bleak country to the south. At mile 18 this began to change in appearance, until at last the whole plain became a jungle of low trees and bushes and thick grass, through which the track runs.
We were now approaching the Clungur River. In the middle of the jungle, at mile 22, we reached a series of small buildings of mud and wood lying in a lightly fenced-in inclosure 100 yards square. This is the new yamên of Buluntogoi, which has only been in existence one-and-a-half years, and which is under the Govern- ment of Altaishan, by whom it has been called into being in accordance with the new policy. The only occupants are an official, his soldier servant, and a lad; the object is to control the many Mongols who live dotted about the country here, and to bring them under taxation, for it would seem that hitherto they have contributed nothing towards the upkeep of the State. It is therefore a Customs yamên, and will tax salt, fish, wool, and skins. The official had gone to Altaishan on business, but his soldier servant, an opium sot, allowed me to stay in the officer's comfortable quarters.
We learnt that the journey to the Tourgout Prince's residence by this route takes one day longer than it would do by the other side of the lake.
A great many mud bricks piled up in the yard showed that more building was contemplated.
September 18.--We marched south-west through low bushes and trees, and striking the river at mile 1, kept down its banks for a short time. Leaving it again we continued south-west and came to another kind of yamên at mile 4. Here three Mongol men live-no one else and their sole occupation is grinding the wheat brought in by the so-called "soldiers" of the neighbourhood. Where were these? The reply was that they were all working in the fields, so the best thing seemed to be to go where they lived to see what kind of barracks they occupied. So we turned to the south-east by another track among shrubs and trees, and 14 miles later came to the edge of the river again. Here were a number of goats and cattle and six of the most squalid yourts we had yet met. Unusually slatternly women and swarms of filthy children were lying about the encampment, which looked like a gipsy one. The yourts were, however, those of the "soldiers," and these were their families. I merely asked how many men there were belonging to this ragamuffin settlement, and was told that there were some sixty or seventy altogether, including those who lived in numerous other yourts scattered about among the trees. All worked daily in the fields. These were the "soldiers," and I felt it to be unnecessary to ask any further questions as to arms, drill, rifle practices, &c., Such is Buluntogoi, which is marked on maps with lettering as large as Kobdo or Urga and if the term "geographical expression" means anything, it applies most surely to this place.
Crossing the river by a ford here (the banks are high and difficult, the water some 24 feet deep, the bed sandy, and the stream very sluggish), we kept due south on the outside of the narrow belt of trees and shrubs and between the stream and the ridge of the surrounding country. After another 4 miles, during which we kept parallel with the river, the latter bent slightly to the south-west and emptied itself into the lake at a point which must be described as the head of the Baganoor. We now continued for 6 miles or so down the lake between the water and the ridge of the surrounding country, the latter rising 150 feet sheer above us; the width of the beach was sometimes 50 yards, at times only 5 or 6 yards. At the southern end of the lake the ridge sank to a sand mound only 30 feet high, and this continued all along the southern end of the lake. Keeping along the water's edge we curved round the bead of the lake for another 11 miles, and turning northwards halted for the night at a Mongol-Hassack camp.
The shores of the lake are remarkable for two things: (1) the masses of sea-shells; and (2) the amount of driftwood, In many places whole tree trunks were visible half buried by the sand.
A few words of explanation are necessary as regards the lake, or rather lakes, for there are two, the Ebinoor and the Baganoor, the two being joined by a small strip of water of such narrow dimensions that it is difficult to detect. This contraction is due
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to the amount of deposit brought down by the Ulungur, which is tending to divide the lake into two. Though one branch of this stream distinctly flows into Baganoor, there may be, and probably are, others which flow into Ebinoor at the narrow point of junction. The river seems to have formed a large delta which is covered with vegetation, the whole being known as Buluntogoi. No other streams flow into Baganoor. Gulls, flocks of sandgrouse, and waterfowl haunt the shores of the lake, but the water is free from islands or grasses. It is evidently shrinking, as small sand shoals near the edge testify. The name " Baganoor" is rather a misnomer, for it is by no means small, being certainly Ebinoor is fully twice the size. There are coarse fish 8 miles long and some 10 broad. in the lake.
The Buluntogoi district is remarkable as regards trees; there is one with a kind of flower consisting of leaves tightly packed together and somewhat resembling the flower of a camelia; this is picked and dried and makes excellent tea. There is another shrub with a whitish leaf and small single berry which serves the same purpose as kaoliang.
The name of the Mongol-Hassack encampment is Baganoor; the Mongols are Kalmucks, an excessively friendly and well disposed branch of the Mongol family. They get on well with the Hassacks, in spite of their difference as regards language, religion, and customs.
September 19-We are now in the realm of the Prince of Tourgout. Sheep here are very cheap; we bought a large one last night for 2 taels (68.). A noticeable feature in camp are the swarms of children, both Mongol and Hassack, an unusual sight as regards the Mongols.
Ascending over bleak and dreary ground to the north-west we reached, after some 10 miles, the main chain of the Salburshan Mountains, which run east and west. Through these we kept for the rest of the day. These hills are bleak and rugged and bare, except for a little coarse vegetation. We only passed two traces of water, at the It was only a stagnant pool second of which we had to halt for fear of being bushed.
a foot square, but there was plenty of coarse grass all round, which was useful for the hungry camels. The water was so black and foul that we had to be content with some pools of rain-water which had collected among some rocks hard by. There are no habitations among these hills. We had marched some 214 miles during the day, and had been obliged to steer mainly by the compass in view of the absence of tracks.
September 20.--After marching a mile and a quarter the character of the range altered suddenly, the bleak rocks with the burnt-up appearance ended, and a sea of lower bills took their place, these were covered with short, rough grass; into the middle of these we plunged, ever in a westerly direction, for another 8 miles, during which we passed two water-holes, and at last emerged on to a broad plain. We had now reached the end of the Salburshan. The plain slopes gently to the north-east for some 14 miles to the western end of Lake Ebineor, which would thus seem to have a total length (east to west) of some 26 miles. From the northern shore of the lake runs another range of hills in a south-westerly direction, gradually increasing to the height of low mountains; these border the plain on to which we had emerged, and turn towards the west; they are known as the Saureshan.
There is little trace of water in the valley, but the whole is covered with rough pasturage, which supports a great number of Turgont tents and their flocks and herds, Keeping in a westerly direction we gradually drifted away from the Salburshan across towards the Saureshan and halted for the night at a large encampment known as Harulbuluk after a total march of 20 miles. Every well in the plain seems to have a distinct name, but in view of the multitude of these I will refrain from mentioning any except the ones at which we halted. The people here were extremely friendly, an old man giving me his nephew's yourt for the night, although the said nephew had only been married a few days previously, and the but was full of the bride's dowry.
The valley now broadened out considerably. The Salburshan had given place to another low range some 15 miles to the south also running east and west. The whole plain is rich in grass and the people seem wealthy, if numbers of cattle and children and ornamented saddlery are tests.
September 21.-Wolves are a great scourge to the locality, and each night every family have a watchman out to watch the flocks. Notwithstanding this, great havoc is frequently caused. Last night the wolves descended in force and captured three of our host's sheep.
At mile 3 we reached. Keeping along the broad valley we rose gently to the west.
It a small mud dwelling, consisting of two rooms entirely unfurnished and windowless.
This is a more interesting spot than it sounds, for it is was surrounded by a mud wall.
2 F
[2155 b−1]
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