Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 2 (1876).djvu/161

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KOKO-NOR.
139

CHAPTER V.

KOKO-NOR AND TSAIDAM.

The lake—Colour of its waters—Island and temple—Fish—Legendary origin of lake—Its shores—Birds —Animals—The Kulan or wild ass—Eleuth Mongols—Low standard of civilisation—Kara-Tangutans—Their predatory habits—Mongol tradition concerning them — Administrative divisions of Koko-nor—We buy fresh camels — Tibetan envoy — Favourable opportunity of reaching Lhassa lost—We determine to advance—Guides—Temple of Kumbum and its sacred tree—Tibetan medicine—Route along shore of lake—Ponhain-gol—Huc's account of river inaccurate—Southern Koko-nor range—Djaratai-dabas salt basin—Princess of Koko-nor—The Tsing-hai-wang—Our reception—My reputation as saint, prophet, and physician—Baumsteitismus, a universal panacea—Mongol ailments—Plain of Tsaidam—The Baian-gol—Saline vegetation—Karmyk berries—Scarcity of animal life—Inhabitants—Lake Lob—Wild camels and wild horses—Autumn on Koko-nor—Clear atmosphere—Cultivated land—Crossing the marshes—Tsung-zasak—Mongol guide 'Chutun dzamba.'

Lake Koko-nor, called Tsok-gumbum by the Tangutans, and Tsing-hai[1] by the Chinese, lies to the west of Si-ning, at a height of 10,500 feet above the level of the sea. In shape it is an ellipse with its longer axis running from east to west. It is from

  1. The Mongolian name signifies 'light blue' — the Chinese 'dark blue.' We could not ascertain the exact meaning of the Tangutan name. The inhabitants of the region, and in general the Southern Mongols, call it Khoko-nor, i.e. softening the k into kh.
    [The Tangutan, i.e. the Tibetan name of the lake is properly Tso-ngonbo, as written by Della Penna, or Tsot-Ngon-po, as written by Huc, meaning just the same as the Mongol and Chinese, viz., 'Blue Lake.'—Y.]