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and the track skirts the shores of this for another 7 miles to Turgennoor camp. The lake is so long that it is impossible to see the north shore. To the east lic the low sand-hills we had crossed, to the south was flat ground, while to the west lay a bold is mountain range dividing the lake from a lake to the west (Karanoor). This not connected with the Altai system. That it is of no inconsiderable height is proved by the fact that its tops were already deep in snow in spite of the heat of the August sun.
range
August 24.-Continuing due west over firm gravel soil we were abreast at mile & of the west shore of the lake. We then ascended gently for another 18 miles to the station of Hargan on the lower slopes of the mountain range. The whole march was At mile 2, uninteresting, the country on either side being open and monotonous. another track led off west-south-west. This is an alternative route to Kobdo and joins the Kobdo-Manas-Urumtsi road.
Turning north-north-west we kept along the east slopes of the range to Djergelent, a distance of 12 miles. Except for a tiny trickle of water by means of which the station of Hargan exists and for a few small channels of water near Djergelent, I came across no streams which could feed the lake nor are there any on the south shore, while on the east shore the sand-hills render it impossible that there should be any.
August 25.--We continued along the slopes of the range for 16 miles to Zahabulak when there is another strangely small runnel of water. This station is situated at a point when the range begins to drop to the north down to the Kara lake which it strikes at about the centre of the east shore. The ground falling away here to the north a view is obtained of the broad north portion of the lake, its north shore and the mountains bordering this, and also over the low-lying ground between Lakes Hara and Turgen which are connected by small streams. From this point too the snows on the north portion of the Altaishan are visible.
In the afternoon we crossed the range to our left in a westerly direction by a short narrow and rocky pass so steep that extra ponies had to be employed to pull the small cart up, while ropes had to be used in the descent to prevent the cart going too fast. Once over the pass we were in the Karanoor basin, and at mile 6 we emerged from the mountains, and turning south-west kept over the stony west slopes of the range for another 6 miles.
We skirted the southern end of the lake by excessively difficult swampy ground, and turning north-west again and north, reached the Tai of Kara ussu, after a long march of 26 miles. The south end of the lake is filled, except for a few stretches of clear water, with what looks like islands, but is, in reality, clumps of tall grass, a home for every kind of wild-fowl; I could not detect any firm land among these, but the end of the lake is doubtless slowly becoming a swamp like that portion to the south over which we had passed.
August 26.-Striking north-west away from the lake, we ascended gently to the hills among which we kept till descending into Kobdo. At mille 12 a broad track joined ours from the south-south-east-the Manas road. Three miles later we reached a cairn in front of which is a l'ailou, erected thirty-two years ago by the then Governor of Kobdo. This is very sacred in Mongol eyes, and we all stopped here, the Mongols making a circuit of the pile of stones and throwing dust on to it.
The Pailon and cairn were
covered with bits of camels hair, mutton bones, and rags, one of the latter being inscribed with the words: "To obtain favour of the joss, by Chong Si, a Kweihuacheng firm.' Melon rinds and ponies' skins were also thrown on to the pile. From here there is an easy descent for 3 miles to Kobdo, the settlement becoming visible 200 yards from the cairn, lying among trees on the plain in the broad valley of the Buyantugol among bleak and barren mountains. It is interesting to note that the natives of these parts are unable to produce the sound K, and speak of Kobdo as Hobdo, Kara ussu as Hara ussu. It is interesting to compare this with the Florentine dialect, hasa for casa, havallo for cavallo.
Our arrival was expected, and a small official rode out to meet us and brought us to the Government temple at the entrance to the town. Here the Governor was kind enough to lodge us, there being no inn in the settlement. Being only 7 years old the temple was clean, and a delightful change to the dirty insect-ridden yourts of the Mongols. In this temple on the Emperor's birthday, the ceremony of kowtowing to the Imperial tablet is performed.
Unlike Urga or Uliassutai, Kobdo is rich in vegetables-potatoes, beans, carrots, turnips, cucumbers, water and sweet melons being grown plentifully. Nearly every house has its own small garden attached to it, and these are well-watered by small irrigation canals from the river,
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Except in the actual settlement there are no trees anywhere to be seen, and this dearth of wood is a very serious matter for Kobdo. The inhabitants have to burn small scrub or argol. This deficiency in wood has been brought about by reckless use in the past for, when founded, the settlement is said to have been well timbered, and indeed, that the site of the colony was chosen because of the abundance of wood.
I called on the military Governor on the afternoon of my arrival. Lien Kwi, the Governor, is a Manchu who has seen service in Honan, Chih-li, and the Board of Dependencies. His tenure of office being up (3 years) he is shortly returning to Peking. His age is 60. The Russian Consul spoke of him as anti-foreign and obstructive and impossible to deal with, and complained bitterly of him. Whatever his attitude may be towards the Russians, there was nothing to complain about in it towards myself, for he was not only polite but even cordial. He strack me, however, as too old for his post, I and stupid. The Government is carried on by five yamêns as at Uliassatai. commented to the Governor on the absence of women in the settlement, and his Excellency said that the Chinese came here for a short time, that they preferred to leave their families at home in China, and that both the expense of bringing them here and the general discomfort of life were additional reasons. The Chinese, he said, were really here for the wool, fur, and hair trade, that they were constantly moving about among the Mongols collecting these, and that the small trade was of little importance. I asked bis Excellency whether anyone could live here, whether I, for instance, could open a shop here. His Excellency replied in the affirmative, adding that, as of course the entire trade was with Mongols, a knowledge of Mongol was a necessity.
There are a good many Mahommedans (Turkis) in the town, trading. For the most part they speak no Chinese, but only their own language and Mongol. One of these spied on me-with what object, and for whose benefit, I do not know-to such an extent that I had to be extremely rude to him. Some of the prices of goods at Kobdo are interesting, eggs, for instance, cost 7 cents a-piece. These come all the way from Kweihuacheng and 60 out of 100 arrive damaged. Rice and flour are cheaper than at Uliassutai, because they have only to travel from Guchen-a comparatively short journey. Salt is cheap, being found in the neighbourhood. Wheat is grown some 30 miles away by some Chinese farmers established here for very many years. In spite of this, nothing has been done towards the introduction of more Chinese farmers, in accordance with the wishes of the Central Government.
The Governor returned my call the same evening, though it was already late when I left the yamên. He was again most cordial. I had begged him to defer the visit until to-morrow, but his Excellency said Chinese etiquette would not allow him to wait so long.
The
Kobdo consists of two portions-the trading settlement and the fortress. latter lies to the north of the former; the trading settlement is entirely unprotected. It consists of one main street, 50 yards broad and mile long, which is flanked by really magnificent trees, under which flow small trickles of water. Some half way down on the west side, a short street leads to another narrow and less important street, running parallel with the main street. The fortress lies at the north end of this main street, while the south end is blocked by the Government temple, the street being entered by a triumphal arch on either side of this. Behind the temple and facing the street is a joss. Numerous inscriptions, and votive offerings of Shansi and Kweihuacheng merchants, as well as one from the Governor, invoke the aid of the joss in obtaining wealth and prosperity. The temple itself is enriched by gifts of money from various firms from time to time, the amounts given being written on slips of paper and pasted on the west wall of the main shrine.
The shops are situated in the streets above mentioned, and Russians, Chinese, and Mahommedans trade side by side. The Russian community is very small, numbering only thirty, scattered among three shops. The Mahommedans own to a population of sixty and about twenty shops. The Chinese bave thirty or forty shops. Some of the Mahommedans are Russian subjects. While all the shops sell miscellaneous goods, the Mahommedans alone keep the meat shops. The Chinese traders are One informed me that he renewed stock three times mostly Shansi and Peking men.
a year from Peking. Among the goods sold are raisins, dried apricots (from the south), flour, rice, inillet, salt, vegetables, miserable furs, Chinese silks, Guchen rugs of gaudy colours, chopsticks, cheap Japanese goods, such as looking-glasses, beads and chains, towels, photos of Japanese singing girls, knives, scent, soap, caps, Mongol boots, snuff, tobacco, suuff bottles, Mongol kettles, lama temple implements and charms. The amount of cheap gaudy Japanese things is enormous. They attract both Chinese and Mongols alike, though one dealer told me he thought that in a few
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