eight o'clock
At seven in the evening we reach Kara Nor , to stay there fifty minutes . This lake , which is not as extensive as Lob Nor , absorbs the waters of the Soule Ho , coming down from the Nan Chan mountains . Our eyes are charmed with the masses of verdure that clothe its southern bank , alive with the flight of numerous birds . At eight o'clock , when we left the station , the sun had set behind the sandhills , and a sort of mirage produced by the warming of the lower zones of the atmosphere prolonged the twilight above the horizon . The dining car has resumed its restaurant appearance , and here is the wedding banquet , instead of the usual fare . Twenty guests have been invited to this railway love feast , and , first of them , my lord Faruskiar . But for some reason or other he has declined Ephrinell 's invitation .