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138 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
supply of water was very nearly exhausted and the burning
hot summer was close at hand ; it would have been madness
to have gone back just then. This discovery completely
altered all my plans. My journey was originally calculated
to last two years, but in consequence of this discovery
it was extended to three. For even though it should cost
me my life, I must sooner or later return to the place in
which we had been so fortunate as to discover the remains
of an ancient but forgotten civilisation. For the present,
however, I had to content myself as best I could. We
would spend the summer and autumn amongst the cool,
snow-clad mountains of Tibet, our winter in the desert
of Gobi, and in the following spring, when the wild-geese
were returning from India, we would pitch our tents among
the ruins of the ancient town.
We therefore continued our journey towards the south-
west. vSoon the dead forest came to an end, and at the
same time the sand-dunes began to increase steadily in
altitude. I was acting as pilot to the caravan, leading
the way bare-foot, but shortly after noon the sand grew
so hot as to blister my feet, so that I had to go last and
tread in the footsteps of the camels, who ploughed up
the sand that the night had cooled. On the ist April
we gave each of our camels a whole bucket of water to
drink, for they were tired and exhausted ; but this reduced
our supply to such an extent that we had only enough
to last one day more. We must quicken our steps, for we
were still more than 40 miles from the Kara-koshun.
The scene around us was heartbreaking, nothing but
dreary yellow dunes without a vestige of vegetation. We
had to keep stopping at ever shorter intervals. The
heated air trembled and vibrated above the sand. Oh !
that another storm would come and cool the atmosphere !
I was again a long way ahead. Wearily I dragged my
steps to the top of a high dune to take a look about me.
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