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226 ,
ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
until they came across the tracks of our camels, and then
seen that we had gone past one another in the dark.
The excitement grew intense when two horsemen emerged
from the bushes ; then appeared two more, driving a whole
troop of horses before them. They were riding at full
gallop. Yes, it was they ; I recognised Islam by his skin
hashlik (hood). He was riding first on a white horse, and
when he caught sight of us he dug in his spurs, raced on
ahead of the rest, dismounted, saluted, and reported that
all was well in the camp. The others were Musa from
Osh in West Turkestan, Khodai Vardi, and Tokta Akhun
from Abdal.
There is no need for me to describe our mutual delight,
or the joyous spirit which reigned in the camp, or the
mighty banquet of ash, or " rice-pudding," with which
we celebrated the reunion. It took us only a couple of
days to reach Temirlik, and our arrival there brought to
an end this toilsome journey. Valuable indeed were the
results it had yielded in the way of geographical discoveries,
but it had been at a great cost of toil, suffering, and even
life. Of the twelve horses we started with, only two were
left alive, and of the camels only four. And one of these
last, although it succeeded in reaching Temirlik, stood for
two days amongst the yellowing grass as if it were a piece
of bronze statuary, and then on the third day lay down
and died, without having once attempted to pluck a mouth-
ful of grass. But the most sorrowful feature of all was
the loss of Aldat, a man whom we had all learned to value
very highly.
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