antelopes, and of numerous aquatic birds.  The water was brackish and bitter, but I drank it with eagerness.  My thirst was satisfied, but the water gave me a severe pain in my stomach, that soon became almost as unendurable as the previous dryness.  I stood for some minutes on the shore of the lake, and preparing to remount my horse, the bridle slipped from my hand.  Mongol ponies are generally treacherous, and mine proved no exception to the rule.  Finding himself free, he darted off and trotted back the way we had come.

“I know that search would be made for me, and my hope now lay in some one coming to the lake.  It did not require long deliberation to determine me to remain in the vicinity of the water.  As long as I was near it I could not perish of thirst; and moreover, the Mongols, who probably knew of the lake, might be attracted here for water, and, if looking for me, would be likely to take the lake in the way.  Tying my kerchief to my ramrod, which I fixed in the ground, I lay down on the grass and slept, as near as I could estimate, for more than two hours.

“Seeing some water-fowl a short distance away, I walked in their direction, and luckily found a nest among the reeds, close to the water’s edge.  The six or eight eggs it contained were valuable prizes; one I swallowed raw, and the others I carried to where I left my gun.  Gathering some of the dry grass and reeds, I built a fire and roasted the eggs, which gave me a hearty meal.  The worst of my hardships seemed over.  I had found water—­bad water, it is true—­but still it was possible to drink it; by searching among the reeds I could find an abundance of eggs; my gun could procure me game, and the reeds made a passable sort of fuel.  I should be discovered in a few days at farthest, and I renewed my determination to remain near the lake.

“The day passed without any incident to vary the monotony.  Refreshed by my meal and by a draught from a small pool of comparatively pure water, I was able to sleep most of the afternoon, so as to keep awake during the night, when exercise was necessary to warmth.  About sunset a drove of antelopes came near me, and by shooting one I added venison to my bill of fare.  In the night I amused myself with keeping my fire alive, and listening to the noise of the birds that the unusual sight threw into a state of alarm.  On the following morning, as I lay on my bed of reeds, a dozen antelopes, attracted by my kerchief fluttering in the wind, stood watching me, and every few minutes approaching a few steps.  They were within easy shooting distance, but I had no occasion to kill them.  So I lay perfectly still, watching their motions and admiring their beauty.

“All at once, though I had not moved a muscle, they turned and ran away.  While I was wondering what could have disturbed them I heard the shout of two Mongol horsemen, who were riding toward me, and leading my pony they had caught a dozen miles away.  A score of men from the caravan had been in search of me since the morning after my disappearance, and had ridden many a mile over the desert.”