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224 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
The camels stood quiet, but dispirited under their loads,
their breath curhng up in so many columns of steam
through the night air.
One reward at least we did, however, reap for our extra
exertions ; we found that we were in the midst of grass
and fuel such as we had not seen for many a month. We
had just one canful of water left, and our late dinner con-
sisted of a small cup of tea and a small piece of kulan-meat
per man. We made a makeshift sort of camp, and kept
the fire burning a long time, as a sort of signal to the relief
caravan—that is, if it really was their fire that we had seen.
The place where we had turned in for the night, under the
brilliant stars, was only about 11,400 feet above the sea.
Next morning, the 15th October, everybody slept- on
till a late hour. The neighbourhood was desolate and
silent, not a human being to be seen. The discovery of a
spring close by fortunately enabled us to remain where we
were. Cherdon, who had procured bullets and powder from
Togdasin, went out to try his luck, but came back empty-
handed, about two o’clock. He told me, however, that he
had seen something black, a long way to the west, which
he had at first taken for a troop of kulans, but he now
thought they were horsemen, and that they were approach-
ing the camp.
I hurried out with telescope, and sure enough it was a
troop of mounted men advancing in a cloud of dust. In
a state of the greatest excitement, we all ran to a hill close
by, and breathlessly watched the advancing cavalcade.
They were still a very long way off, and appeared to be
riding just above the belt of vegetation, which, however,
they had not yet reached. From their bobbing movements
we saw that they were riding hard. Then they disappeared
among the dark bushes, while the cloud of dust moved
on over them. It must be our men, who, not having
seen our signal fire, had pushed on again at daybreak
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