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**May 22 — June 17, 1927** [Shibochen](/#m=9/39.79469/96.02227&l=Gs&p=137/o)

Shih-pao-ch'eng and Sharagolji. The local headman was unable to procure camels

before August and those camels which were for sale at his encampment were so

unsatisfactory that we decided to spend June and July in the higher mountain valleys and

start for Tibet in August. Meanwhile we could study the future route and complete our

preparations for the great trek across the uplands of Tibet. We decided to buy our own

riding horses, but the animals had to be bought from Chinese villagers, for the local

Mongol horses were useless on a trip to Tibet.

The Tibetan horse dealers, who come annually to buy horses from Sining and Kansu, buy

only Chinese or Sining bred ponies. These ponies, when well built and good amblers,

bring high prices at Lhasa. We therefore decided to send our Tibetan guide to buy

horses, mules, and provisions at the Chinese village of Ch'ang-ma.

surface of the plateau became muddy, and, secondly, during the dry period the frequent

northeast winds blew clouds of loess over it, which penetrated the tents and covered the

interiors with a thin layer of dust. A few days after our arrival, the local headman

invited me to accompany him on a ride around the oasis in order to find a suitable

camping ground for our stay and to visit his encampment. The trail which we were

following was very swampy and our horses frequently sank deep into the mud.

Shih-pao-ch'eng is a vast oasis, that stretches north of the Tsagan Chuluta. It is a

vast depression situated in a gravel plain stretching toward the barren mountain ridges

that encompass the plain from south and north, leaving a gap open toward the village

Ch'ang-ma, situated west of the plain. The oasis itself is a series of swamps

situated along the banks of the river, which is fed by many subsoil springs. The

numerous Mongol encampments or *ails* were situated on patches of firm, dry

ground along the banks of the main river channel. In the summer the oasis is covered by

fine grazing, which grows on the saline grounds of the river terraces.

The river banks and the numerous swamps are a paradise for aquatic birds. Sea gulls (*Chroicocephalus ridibundus*), gray geese (*Anser anser*), turpans (*Casarca casarca*), a variety of

ducks and divers, grebes (*Columbus cristatus* L.) and a smaller variety of them

(*Columbus minor* L.), snipes, and gray herons enlivened the river banks.

The oasis and the mountain grazing grounds belong to the Kurluk Mongols. Local Mongols

and their headman spent winter and early spring in the Oasis of Shih-pao-ch'eng. In

June they moved their camps to the higher alpine valley of Sharagolji situated south of

the Khash-kar-in Pass. The headman, Machen, lived in three dirty felt tents, pitched on

a patch of dry firm ground close to the river. His family were just as dirty as their

tents and increased the general impression of untidiness. On our arrival a number of

boys rushed out of the tents and took our horses. We entered the larger tent, preceded

by the wife of the headman. Nearly all of the occupants wore heavy sheepskin coats,

thrown aside to the waist, leaving the upper part of the body bare. Some had green or

white shirts under the sheepskin coat, but most had none. The head of the family seated

himself on a pile of sheepskins and invited me to sit on a low mattress. The rest of the

family squatted on the floor. Near a small wooden altar with several crude brass images

of Buddha Sakyamuni, Tara, and Tsong-kha-pa, the Tibetan reformer, sat a lama from Amdo,

wearing huge Chinese spectacles that covered most of his forehead and he recited prayers

out of a book, which he was holding on his knees. We were served with cheese and

*äräki*, a kind of strong drink prepared with milk.

After an hour's conversation, we settled the question of camels for the future

caravan. The headman agreed to hire his camels as far as Nag-chu, the first Tibetan

village on the northern caravan route. He told me that they had received disquieting

news from Teijiner in southern Tsaidam, where bands of armed Goloks or Panags had

attacked and plundered the Mongol encampments in the valley of the Neiji River. He

insisted on the necessity of having with the caravan a large detachment of men-at-arms

and proposed to supply them. He also informed me that since last year, his Prince had

received a request from Lhasa not to allow any European travelers to proceed there. This

order had nothing to do with us, for we were in possession of Tibetan passports and

letters of introduction and were even accompanied by a Tibetan government servant,

deputed by the Tibetan representative in Urga, to escort the expedition to Tibet.

Having settled all the questions concerning our future trip to Nag-chu, I rode off to

look for a suitable camping ground. The best places for camps were already occupied by

Mongol *ails*. We found a spacious river terrace, with firm, dry ground, on which

we could easily pitch our camp. We moved on the next day. It was somewhat difficult to

find a sufficient number of pack animals to transport the expedition's baggage. The

Chinese farmers had a small oxcart, which they placed at our disposal for the day. The

cart had to make several trips to convey all the heavy baggage. The headman Machen sent

us his ten camels, all the other camels being far in the mountains. The rest of the

baggage was carried over by riders. As soon as we were established in our new camp, we

sent our Tibetan guide with a Mongol to Ch'ang-ma to buy horses and mules.

Apart from exploring the oasis, each one of us had much to do in his respective field.

Professor Roerich continued his artistic work. Mrs. Roerich and her two assistants were

sorting the expedition's baggage and making lists of supplies for the future

crossing of Tibet. Our doctor besides responding to requests for medical aid, explored

the oasis, its fauna and flora. Portniagin was always busy with transport questions,

saddlery and the odds and ends that occupy so much time in camp life. I was studying the

local Mongols, their language and customs, besides inquiring about our future route

across the swamps of Tsaidam and the uplands of Tibet.

It so happened that the Mongol tribes of Tsaidam were never before studied

linguistically. Scant information about their dialect could be obtained from accounts by

previous travelers and from the linguistic works on the Mongol dialects by Dr. A. D.

Rudnev and G. Tsybikoff.

One evening we suddenly saw our Tibetan guide riding toward the camp on a fine black

horse and driving before him a big drove of horses and mules. The animals were a welcome

addition to our caravan. The Tibetan acquitted himself well of his task and brought back

a fine stud of animals, many of which reached Darjeeling in India, after a long and

trying winter on the Tibetan upland.

Portniagin soon left us for a trip to Ch'ang-ma and Su-chou in the Kansu Province.

Besides the buying of provisions he was intrusted with the sending and receiving of

cables from America. He remained absent for fully two weeks and returned with a pair of

fine horses, only to be sent again to Ch'ang-ma to buy pack mules for the

expedition. We had decided to have a mule detachment in our caravan to transport the

camping outfit.

Shih-pao-ch'eng, notwithstanding its altitude, was growing unpleasantly hot and we

inquired of the local headman, whether conditions were better in the higher valleys of

Sharagolji, where lay the summer pastures of the local Mongols. According to him there

was no rainfall in the higher valleys and grass was scant. He advised us to wait for

another two weeks. The question of supplies continued to cause us considerable anxiety.

Many of the districts in the Kansu Province were hunger stricken, as the result of

recent upheavals and the continuous movements of troops. The An-hsi authorities had

issued orders forbidding the sale of flour and rice, without an authorization by local

authorities. It became difficult to find sufficient supplies of flour for the

expedition. The local Chinese merchants were charging exorbitant prices and the only way

to get supplies of flour for our stay in Tsaidam and the journey to Nag-chu was to send

one of our men to buy it in Ch'ang-ma. We accordingly sent our Tibetan guide, who

had a good knowledge of Chinese, to buy all the available quantity, which he did and

returned a week later with a considerable supply of barley flour.

On the 15th of June the local headman came to tell us that the conditions in Sharagolji

Valley were favorable and that he advised us to move our camp there. We fixed the date

The next day's march was somewhat longer and took us over a gravel plain north of

the Khashkar-in ula. We started late in the afternoon when the atmosphere had cooled off

a little and reached our stage about eleven o'clock at night.

On the next day we sent our caravan ahead of us and remained with one tent until late in

the afternoon, in order to make the march during the cool of the evening. The place bore

the name of Khashkar-in ama and was distinguished by a crude stone throne erected in

honor of the Dalai Lama during his flight in 1904. There was no water supply on the

stage; so we had to take water with us from Shih-pao-ch'eng and carry it in large

tins. At about four o'clock we left camp and entered a narrow gorge, leading into

the heart of the mountains. The small stream that flowed through the gorge was still

frozen hard, and in many places we crossed it over bridges of ice. After three miles,

the trail left the stream and turned southwest toward the Urtu-Khashkar-in daban. We

halted for the night at the foot of the pass, on the banks of a frozen brook. It was

strange to see snow and ice in the middle of June.

Next day we were unable to continue our journey. Mrs. Roerich felt indisposed and we

decided to remain in camp. The heavy baggage was sent ahead on camels with orders to

await us on the southern side of the pass. Only ten camels were left to transport the

camping outfit. The day was sunny but cold, with a steady and freezing northeast wind.

The Mongols and Tibetans maintained that the Khashkar-in daban was bad for men and

animals, that men often perished on the pass from "earth poison" or

*sa-du* (*sa-gdug*). According to them the only way to save one's self

was to chew garlic during the crossing of the pass or to smoke strong Chinese tobacco

continuously. Lamas, who never smoked in ordinary life, would smoke during the ascent

and did not think it sinful. Some of our Mongols complained of headache. I think that

the steady icy wind, that penetrated the narrow gorge from the northeast, intensified

the rarity of the air and caused headache, which was regarded by the Mongols to be a

sign that the person was affected by the "earth poison."

During the day I made a brief excursion up the mountain valley in the direction of the

pass. The slopes of the mountain were covered with turf and the hares (*Lepus tolai*) were very numerous. A little farther up from our camp the valley branched; one way

led directly to the pass, the other struck south and was sheltered by high mountains. In

the upper part of this second valley lay another pass, difficult of access and therefore

only seldom used.

On June 22, Mrs. Roerich having completely recovered, we ascended the pass on a

beautifully clear morning. The ascent was very steep but presented no danger in summer

months. During the winter, when the whole of the northern slope is one gigantic block of

ice, there are a great number of accidents and many camels perish while descending the

pass. From the top of the pass, marked by the usual *obo* or stone cairn, we

obtained a fine view of the surrounding mountain panorama. To the east rose a mighty

snow-capped mountain, the Tsagan Burgusun, on which there were said to be many wild

yaks. Because of the late spring, the small rodents were only now leaving their holes

and we saw a great many of these animals during our descent into the large plain,

through which flowed the Ye-ma ho. The river flowed in a narrow stone bed and had very

little water. We camped on its banks close to our camel caravan with the heavy baggage.

Across the camp on the farther bank of the river rose the three-peaked mountain of

Gurbun-daban or "The Three Mountain Passes." South of the river rose the

snow-clad mountains beyond the valley of Sharagolji. These were the Humboldt Mountains

of Prjevalski which bear the native name of Doyugu. It appears that the natives

designate the Humboldt Mountains by different names. The western part of the range was

known under the semi-Mongol-semi-Chinese name of Doyugu, the eastern was called by some

of the natives Hung-ho Shan, by others Hungu ula. This latter name was given to the

range, because of numerous river gorges of red sandstone. We had to stay another full

day in the valley of the Ye-ma ho because of Mrs. Roerich's health, which had been

delicate for the past few days.

The night was bitterly cold and water froze inside the tents. During the day we made a

brief excursion into the valley of the river, which rose in the Gurbun-daban Mountains

and flowed toward the northeast. In June the volume of water carried by the river was

insignificant. It was said to increase considerably in the rainy period, that is in July

and August. The day before our departure, the water in the river suddenly became muddy—a

sign of a snow or rainfall in the mountains. We observed wild asses or

*kyangs* and flocks of turpans on the river banks. A hunting party was organized

and after a two hours' absence from the camp returned with two fine *kyangs*.

The meat of the animals was surprisingly palatable and from then on often appeared on

our table.

Our cameleers were an interesting crowd of colorfully dressed men. They all were armed.

Most of them had Berdane rifles of 1887 or German Mausers of 1891; one even had a

British-made Martini rifle, which he had bought in Tibet.

Next day we were again able to move on toward Sharagolji. The trail crossed the Ye-ma ho

and then led across a vast sandy plateau, that imperceptibly rose toward the south. All

around the plateau were barren ridges and we wondered where the local Mongols grazed

their herds of horses and cattle. After ten miles, we reached the highest point of the

plateau, marked by a stone cairn. From here a gradual descent led into the valley of

Shara-gol. The valley itself was still hidden by a rugged ridge known by the name of

Ikhe ula or the "Big Mountain." We crossed it through a broad gorge, blocked

by huge accumulations of talus and bowlders.

Toward two o'clock in the afternoon we reached the latitudinal valley of Shara-gol,

situated at an altitude of some 9,000 feet. It was almost impossible to find dry firm

ground for our camp, for most of the valley was covered by swamps and quicksands. We

intended to cross the river, but a Chinese trader who was camping in the valley, warned

us that the river was flooded and that he had been unable to cross the day before. We

had to camp temporarily on a patch of saline ground. It was evident that it would be

impossible to remain on the spot for a long period, because of mosquitoes and the

dampness of the ground.

**June 25 — August 18, 1927** [Sharagolji](/#m=9/39.05426/95.80038&l=Gs&p=220/o)