Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XVII.—Water! Water!
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
26o ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
and a pinch of tea ! This would enable him to kindle a
fire and make tea for liimself , and he was at liberty to carve
as many steaks as he chose out of the dead camel which lay
under his nose.
Taking the rest of the caravan and nine sacks crammed
with ice, I, on the 2nd March, went down into the desert,
and discovered, not the ruins of the year before, nor 3^et the
ruins that Ordek stumbled upon when he went to look for
the forgotten spade, but a third place, an ancient town. We
counted 19 houses still standing in part, and I was easily able
to measure them. At the northern end of the place was a
clay tower, nearly 30 feet high, commanding the entire neigh-
bourhood, and standing on a wind-sculptured mound, likewise
nearly 30 feet high. At its foot, on the morning of the 4th
March, we put up my yurt and the men’s tent, and stacked
our ice in the shade, covering it over with a roof of clay.
As soon as the seven camels had rested a little, I ordered
Li Loyeh to lead them back to the spring. There he was
to remain two days, and then during the next two days he
was to come back to the ruins, bringing with him Khodai
Vardi and the horses and all the camels, and he was to pack
upon them as much ice as they were able to carry, for we
were going to make yet another march across the desert,
all the way to the marsh of Kara-koshun. (3n the 9th March,
therefore, he had to be back at the ruins, and I promised to
light a big fire on the mound as a beacon to guide him.
Then we went to work with crowbars, and axes, and
spades, and dug and poked about amongst the ruins of the
19 houses, and managed to bring to light various domestic
utensils, money, pieces of pottery, a lamp, and so forth.
Perhaps the tower, like an Indian stupa, contained some
secret in its interior ? We excavated a hole from the top ;
but the tower proved to be solid right through, though
before we satisfied ourselves of that, we had to pull down
a large portion of the upper part.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
