that we should be able to cross with ease over what had lately appeared such a stupendous mountain-knot. The pass at the head of the valley was a flat, convenient bel, devoid of vegetation, like the upper part of the latitudinal valley. Its altitude is 3888 m. I do not know its name. The Särtäng Mongols told me that one of the passes which we crossed over is known as Anambaruin-kötel; but this name belongs probably to the threshold on which the Anambaruin-gol originates. The more easterly pass which we have now reached is said to be called Anambaruin-eken-davan. On its summit stands a pyramid of stones, an indication that a Mongol road runs that way. From beside it we commanded a magnificent view across a fresh large open valley expansion, a gathering area, which however, contrary to the two preceding valley expanses, opens out southwards to the basin of Tsajdam. To the north, on the other side of the range which on that side borders the valley of the Mo-baruin-gol, we observed another latitudinal valley, parallel to the last-named, and identical with the one to which I have already alluded above. Even though I did not visit this new latitudinal valley, I nevertheless make bold to say, that it possesses a saddle divide which plays the same important orographical role as that on which we at that moment stood : namely it acts as a water-divide between the Desert of Gobi on the north and the basin of Tsajdam on the south. This supposition stands however in need of further confirmation. To the N. 8o° E. there opened out yet another latitudinal valley; apparently it formed the orographical continuation of the one I have just mentioned, for it is in that very quarter that the latter debouches upon the valley expansion which we were looking down into. South of its termination or outlet rises an imposing mountain-mass, which, as seen from the pass, appeared to be almost freestanding. In the actual outlet of the valley there is a spring, with both open water and ice. In this locality we failed however to detect any signs of a road, though lower down in the valley expansion we did observe two cairns of stones.
The descent eastwards from the pass is very gentle. The valley expansion has a slope towards the south-east, and in the same direction we perceived a range which appeared to decrease in altitude towards the west and soon afterwards came to an end. We pitched Camp CXVI (alt. 3819 m.) under the shadow of the mountains on the north-east of the valley expansion, and in a barren, desert-like locality. Beside it was a shallow watercourse filled with gravel and having a sprinkling of japkak scrub alongside it. There was no spring, but on the other hand a plentiful supply of snow; it formed in fact a continuous sheet, except for an occasional stone sticking up through it.
At the head of the transverse glen of the Mo-baruin-gol was an unimpaired green schist, dipping 28° towards the S. 5° W., and a little higher up in the latitudinal valley a similar variety, though less schistose in character, clipping 50° towards the N. 20° W. Higher up still there was a marble-like rock dipping 48° towards the N. 5° E., and some distance west of the pass a red crystalline schist dipping 66° towards the N. 55° W. Granite also occurred amongst the débris of the gravel-and-shingle in the valleys.
January 5th. Accompanied by a hard gale from the west, we continued our route down the great open latitudinal valley towards the south-east, having in front of us the silhouette of the mountain-range which appeared to block our valley. The
IIIFカラー高解像度
