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254 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
ceeded farther by myself, and upon turning up a little
valley between some low hills I saw immediately before me
a big and handsome wild camel, which was quite unaware
of my presence, owing to the wind being contrary. The
dogs, however, came and warned him of his danger ;
and
after that we kept them tied up, for not only were we
greatly in need of fresh meat, but I was anxious to take
home with me the skin and skeleton of a wild camel.
After proceeding for some hours we saw something yellow
looming through the haze in the south, evidently another
attractive oasis. On the far side of it I saw i8 wild camels
grazing. I therefore stopped and sent back Li Loyeh to
fetch Shagdur. The wild camels watched the long black
line of their tame congeners with steady attention. At
length, up came the Cossack breathless, but he was im-
patient, and fired too soon. The animals disappeared
westwards with the speed of the wind, and it looked as if
I were not to get my skeleton. Altimish-bulak was now
my only hope, for upon leaving it we should pass out of
the domain of the wild camel.
In this yellow oasis we found Abdu Rehim’s third spring,
so that his statement turned out to be perfectly correct.
According to my topographical determinations, we had
now only 17 miles to go to the west-south-west to reach
Altimish-bulak. Had the weather been clear, we could
have seen the oasis from a great distance ; but owing to the
incessant wind the atmosphere was now thick, and we were
unable to see far. Without knowing it, we might easily
go past the oasis, and in that case we should be launched
once more in the desert, and unable to find water before we
reached the Tarim, a trial which the caravan could scarcely
have endured.
My lucky star, however, guided our footsteps aright, and
we eventually saw the yellow reeds looming through the
haze, and above them detected the silhouettes of five wild
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