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ADVENTURES IN NORTHERN TIBET. 231
an extent as to force us to row towards the south-east, the
direction in which wind and waves were running. It was
already dusk, and as it would be dangerous to land on an
unknown shore with a heavy sea behind us, we grew rather
anxious ; our fragile nutshell of a boat might be torn to
tatters. Fortunately, the waves had broken up the ice
along the shore, otherwise it would have cut our boat to
pieces. All at once a white line gleamed out of the dark-
ness ahead ; it was the line of the foam-crested breakers,
and before we knew what had happened we were in the
middle of them. A big wave caught our boat and flung
her on the beach, which fortunately consisted of sand ; but
the next moment she was sucked down again by the back-
wash, and then once more flung on the beach, so that her
timbers creaked. However, Tokta Akhun jumped out at
the right moment, and we managed to get our little craft
safely landed, though not before a couple of jealous waves
had flung themselves over her and drenched a portion of
our baggage. Then we proceeded to make ourselves com-
fortable for the night on the sheltered side of a hill. There
were plenty of hard kdnriik bushes, which made excellent
fuel, and dark though it was, with the help of little sup-
plementary fires here and there we managed to gather a
big heap. After a bowl of tasty soup and some tea, which
Tokta Akhun prepared, we sat and smoked our " baccy,"
and discussed grand plans for the proposed winter journey
through the Desert of Gobi, to the old Lop-nor and the
marsh of Kara-koshun, which Tokta Akhun knew as well
as the interior of his own hut. As early as nine o’clock the
thermometer was down to 6.8° Fahr., and when our fuel
was at an end we pulled our skin-coats about our ears and
crept under the halves of the boat. I will admit, however,
that I slept but little that night. It is true, I had on only
four pairs of woollen stockings and a pair of big fur-lined
top-boots, besides felts, skin-coats, and a bashlik ; but then
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