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CHAPTER XIV.
EXPLORING THE LAKES OF TIBET.
Camp XXIV. was made on the shore of a salt lake, with
not the slightest suspicion of vegetation anywhere visible.
But to make amends, we had on the south only a low chain
of rounded hills, a mere bagatelle in comparison with the
ranges we had recently crossed. I rode on in advance
towards the summit of the range ; but the surface, which
consisted of wet mud, grew softer and softer, and splashed
and squelched with every step the horse took. At last I
had to get off and lead him, until, finally, I nearly lost one
of my own boots, sucked off my foot by the mire. After
that I decided to wait for the caravan. When it came up,
the men were panting, and the patient and submissive
camels toiled after them, sinking in foot-deep at every
step, and yet they were better supported by their broad,
padded feet than were the horses with their hard hoofs.
Our hearts beat violently until we feared they would
burst. The ground rocked and heaved, making us all
giddy. There were several slabs of stone lying scattered
about, but even they sank into the ooze when we trod on
them, leaving a hole that rapidly filled with water. You
would think that the entire range of soft, jelly-like mud
would flatten itself out more and more, until it ran into
the lake. The causes of the ground turning to this abomi-
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