Book 2 - Chapter 13
From now on began our more or less settled camp life in the higher mountain valleys of 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.
Our camp on the plateau was found untenable for two reasons; during the rains the 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 of departure for the 18th of June.
