X. Across the Southwestern Gobi

Trails to the Inmost Asia

Next day we made an early start and by eight o'clock the camels were watered and loaded. It usually took us some two hours to start our large caravan in marching order.

After crossing the gravel plain in a southerly direction, we entered low sandy hills that stretched for more than five miles. These hills bordered the gravel plain on the southeast and south. South of this belt of sandstone hills and sand dunes lay a broad sandy plain covered by loess and deresün grass (Lasiagrostis splendens). We found here several Mongol encampments belonging to the same khoshun as the Yum-beise Monastery. As in all frontier districts of central Asia, the population of the tents was extremely varied. We came across Torguts from the Mongolian Altai, Khalkha Mongols from at least half a dozen khoshun or tribal divisions and several Amdo Tibetans, who had settled in the district. Some of them proved to be former lamas of the great Kumbum Monastery in the Sining district of Kansu Province.

After crossing the grass-covered plain, we came to a river flowing northwest by southeast. It was a tiny stream on whose banks were pitched a number of Mongol tents. Here we were offered a fine white camel for sale. Unfortunately the animal was too young for a long route but the Mongols insisted on our buying it. White camels are popularly considered to be the best present to offer to one of the great Lama Pontiffs of Tibet. We refused, fearing that the animal was too young and would not stand the long journey to Tibet. We had to take some water from the river for we were told that there was no water on the route.

After fording the river we entered into an intersected hilly region of low relief. Here and there one could see outcroppings of granite, porphyry and other rocks. After a long march of twenty-five miles, we camped in a circular depression among hills, well sheltered from the frequent winds that level the landscape. So far, the weather had been mild and the days even warm. The locality of our camp bore the name of Khara Boro, and was said to receive a considerable amount of rain during the rainy months of the summer. Naturally we had no opportunity to test this statement of our guides. The numerous dry basins of miniature lakes found between the hills seemed to indicate a large amount of rain at some season of the year.