wide, and extends some distance to the east, bounded on the north by the Southern Koko-nor mountains, and on the south by another parallel chain which unites with the former a little to the west of Djaratai-dabas.
Not far from the point of their junction, at the entrance of a narrow defile formed by the Dulan-gol, is Dulan-kit,[1] where Tsing-hai-wang, governor of Western Koko-nor resides. He used formerly to live on the shore of the lake, but the constant depredations of the Tangutans obliged him to remove his camp. One may form an idea of the extent of their robberies from the fact that 1,700 of his horses were stolen in three years. The Wang, i.e. Prince, of Koko-nor died a year before our arrival;[2] leaving as his successor his eldest son, a youth of twelve, whose title had not as yet been acknowledged by the Chinese Government;[3] and his mother, a young energetic woman, acted as regent. We met her with the young prince near Djaratai-dabas, on their way to Tonkir to transact business. The latter eyed us with a sort of stupid curiosity, but the princess demanded our passport, and, after reading it through, remarked to her attendants, that we were perhaps emissaries of
- ↑ The word 'kit' means a church, and there is certainly a small temple at this place. [The river is the Toulain-gol of Huc (ii. 208), where the French travellers found the ruins of a flourishing convent. — Y.]
- ↑ Both the wangs of Koko-nor are subject to the amban of Si-ning, i.e. the governor of Kan-su.
- ↑ Tsing-hai-wang died in 1871. A thousand head of cattle, including 300 yaks, were paid for the celebration of his funeral obsequies at different temples; besides which several hundred lans in money were sent to Tibet for the same purpose.
