CROSSING THE ARKA-TAGII. 69
of times before I succeeded in getting across the main range of the Arka-tagh. And that experience would have been repeated again had we now turned to the east. If we wanted to get up upon the Tibetan plateau we must turn to the south; accordingly we climbed the slopes on the right of the side-glen that runs east, turning our faces towards the south-east, and crossing a number of small tributary watercourses. From the heights above we commanded a view of the entire glen, winding down to the large valley at the bottom and enclosed all the way down between arms of the mountains, with soft rounded spurs. In this way we approached the crest of the parallel range and its principal pass. This last forms a flattened col or swelling, very little lower than the adjacent peaks.
The view which disclosed itself from the summit of this pass bore a striking resemblance to the orographical arrangement of the great parallel border-ranges of North Tibet — namely a broad east and west latitudinal valley, traversed by a stream, and bordered on the south by a lofty range of gloomy aspect, topped by several dominating snow-capped peaks. Between two of these, due south, there was a gap in the crest of the range, by which it seemed likely that we might cross. Eastwards the country is tolerably level and open, the great valley being broad; towards the west however it contracts, in consequence of several spurs from the range on which we then stood projecting into the valley. The extreme eastern peak in the new range lay to the S. 64° E., but was soon hidden from our sight.
The descent into the latitudinal valley was short and not very steep, and was furrowed by several torrents running towards the south-east. As we were travelling towards the south-west, we had to cross some of these torrents and the swelling heights between them. The stream that traverses the latitudinal valley creeps close along the foot of the range which we had just crossed over, and the ground gradually rises from its southern hank up towards the foot of the next range. Its bed contained no running water, only a few small isolated pools here and there. As far as we were able to see, it descended towards the east, but no doubt it turns eventually north and, after uniting with the before-mentioned grey valley, pierces the parallel range we had last crossed over, and so descends to the drift-sand area so often spoken of. It is pretty deeply trenched, but has usually rounded banks, except at the bends, where the concave side is steep. From the top of the left terraced bank I took the bearings of some important orographical and topographical features. To the S. 48° E. was quite a small butte, standing in front of the new range to the south; in the S. 21° E. a rounded spur jutting out from the butte; in the S. 3° E. a lofty peak with an extensive snow-field on its northern flank — in fact the snow formed there three rudimentary hanging glaciers, which sent down the smallest of tongues. Immediately west of this glaciated peak we caught a glimpse of a grey watercourse, with a running stream, which, so far as we were able to see, proceeded towards the north, picking up on its way the brook beside which we were then standing. This then probably constitutes the principal passage for the transverse glen which opens upon the drift-sand area. In the S. 13° W. there was a snow-clad mountain-complex. Between S. 44° W. and S. 64° W. was one unbroken series of snow-clad peaks, belonging to a part of the chain which projects farther to the north, and which then screened from us this greater part of the westward prolon-
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