IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia, 1899-1902 : vol.4 |
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Citation Information
t4
FROM CENTRAL TIBET TO LADAK.
a meridional chain of small depressions, by which there pretty certainly runs a far easier route than that which we were following. To the S. 2o° E. we caught the glimmer of white, no doubt a desiccated salt lake. To the south-east and east were mountains of moderate elevation. On the other hand we nowhere perceived any conspicuous dominating peaks. 'The orographical dimensions were far more modest than they had hitherto been, the relative differences of altitude being slight and the entire country leveller. During this stage we only observed hard rock in two places. The first was red sandstone, together with a fine-grained, crystalline
variety, in 54° towards the N. r ° W. and exposed at only spot in a deep
dipping 54 Y one s 5 p p p
watercourse. The second was a hard, fine-grained rock, varying in colour from light yellow to white; this made a sort of shoulder or bluff near our camp at the end of the march. Apart from these the surface consisted everywhere of fine brick-red dust. Even gravel was very seldom met with; it occurs only in the bottoms of the eroded
watercourses.
At this camp, which was 4794 m. above sea-level, we fell in with a nomad encampment of i 3 persons, possessing yaks, horses, and sheep. These people called the region Dschansung, and said that they were directly subject to the authority of the Pantschen Rimpotsche of Taschi-lumpo.
On the 3rd September we proceeded towards the south-south-west and southwest, the country being extremely level and easy; what undulations there were were at all events quite trifling, and for long distances the surface appeared to be as level as a floor. Nevertheless it is divided into a number of small flat, self-contained drainage-basins, and consequently disconnected pools are quite numerous. On the whole however this wide plain slopes gradually down towards the Satschu-tsangpo, more particularly from a little threshold at an altitude of 4750 m. Immediately east of this swelling is a small lake, situated in a long, broad, and flat depression, in which there was a fair amount of grass. In several directions we saw the tents and flocks of the nomads. Farther on the grazing was in several places exceptionally good. Broadly speaking, we were travelling in a broad valley bordered both east and west by very low, rounded mountains, from which side-glens debouch at intervals upon the main valley. The main valley does not however possess any definite eroded watercourse, but all the brooks and rivulets that we crossed over terminate in self-contained pools and miniature lakes. In its general character this valley resembles the usual latitudinal valleys, except that its almost meridional direction is unusual.
At the point where we approached the Satschu-tsangpo, that is in the vicinity of a small isolated hill, evidently not very far from the point where Littledale forded the river, it was divided into two branches by a low mud-island. One of my men who swam across, reported that the river was not more than i I/2 m. deep. I decided I would not take the caravan across, for that would have brought us too closely into contact with Littledale's route on the eastern shore of the Selling-tso. I resolved to go round by the west side; which would also save us the trouble of ferrying the caravan across. We encamped therefore on the right bank of the stream at a spot which lay 4613 m. above sea-level. The river here is very winding. In the narrower passages the velocity was considerable, but in the broader parts the
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