endless string of lagoons. Here and there are small islets, or long and extremely narrow spits of land lying parallel with the shore. In the S. 68° W. rose a gigantic snowy mass; in the S. 14° E. a similar smaller mass. Both were a very long way from the southern shore of the lake, but as the sky was clear and free from clouds, they both stood out sharply and distinctly.
Finally, swinging round in a wide curve to the south, the lake comes to an end. At the same time the ridge which we had hitherto had on our left likewise swings round with it, but then continues on towards the east along the northern side of another lake, which again contains fresh water, although it was then exceptionally muddy, its transparency not exceeding i o to i 2 cm. The isthmus between the two lakes is at its narrowest not more than a couple of hundred meters across, and very low. The ridge consists almost entirely of soft disintegrated material and descends by a long, gentle slope towards the shore, leaving an almost level strip close to the water's edge. This lake too is joined by a countless number of tiny rivulets, some of which have cut pretty deep beds for themselves, though they are however generally marshy and boggy. For a considerable distance we crossed one of these deep torrents at every 200 meters. In the lake lies a crescentic island, the horns pointing towards the east. In the south-east of the lake, close to the southern shore, there appeared to be a second island, though possibly it is a peninsula.
Where the first-mentioned island occurs, the lake is contracted, and from that point the opposite or northern shore assumes the most fantastic and peculiar outline. It is cut by a number of brooks, the lowest parts of which run for considerable distances parallel with the shore before they finally turn and enter the lake, being separated from it in the meantime by steep, grass-grown hills of yellow earth, 4 to 5 m. high (fig. 96). Across the delta of each brook there is further a similar rampart, very
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