140 WESTWARDS TO LADAK.
The country around Camp CII is said to be called Dschanok and the little lake
Urtschang-tso.
On i i th October we left this place, the wind blowing as usual obstinately from
the west. The surface inclines generally towards the same direction and towards the north, and is level and first-rate for marching on. The only fresh water was in the lake, which possibly possesses an outlet towards the north. On our left we had two small free-standing buttes, and shortly after that a third, still smaller; while on the right was a stretch of fairly low heights. After that we emerged upon an extensive open, level plain, and all at once acquired a magnificent view of the imposing mass of the Scha-gandschum, which appeared to spring directly from the south
side of the plain. It was a mortification to me that, in consequence of the lateness of the season and the exhausted condition of my caravan animals, I was prevented from minutely exploring this mountain and unravelling its connection with the adjacent mountain-ranges. Its base can be approached without difficulty from both east and north, and I have no doubt that here, between the Scha-gandschum and the western end of the range which we had last had on the south, a convenient route could be found, leading into the more southern parts of Tibet; for if there does exist a pass to the east of the mountain, it must be flat and easy. Our Tibetans maintained of course that it was impossible to penetrate south from that region. It now became distinctly apparent also, that north of the mountain and south of the range beside the recently mentioned latitudinal valley there stretches another latitudinal valley, parallel with that which we had last travelled up. The correctness of the name Schagandschum is rendered the more probable in that the name occurs also on Littledale's map, although he spells the word Shahkanjam. At this part his route runs north of mine, that is in a more northerly latitudinal valley. Some of the Tibetans called
IIIF Color HighRes
