DESCENDING FROM THE HIGH PLATEAU. 255
the lake-basin we became aware of a slight rise; that it was a rise was only evident from the dry watercourses converging into a depression. But shortly after that the surface appeared to be perfectly level, without the slightest elevation: not even the faintest undulation was observable. The only really noticeable feature was that the bottom of the latitudinal valley slopes a little from north to south. Its breadth there is about 6 km., and its lowest part is in the south, at the foot of the mountains; and this is also indicated by the bearings of the western end of the lake. The southern range still continued to be energetically developed, though its main chain is for the most part hidden by short wild, rugged spurs, the lower flanks of which are often studded with minor peaks and rocky protuberances. The only glimpses we caught of the main chain were through the outlets of the transverse glens. In those outlets there are, as before, wide-spread gravelly screes; the upper parts of the glens are steep, narrow, and not easily approachable. The range on the north is of moderate dimensions; its spurs are longer and flatter. One or two of these transverse glens appeared to lead up to relatively easy passes, by which one would be able to get over to the next latitudinal valley on the north, which runs parallel to the one in which we were, and probably is identical with it. It was probably through that latitudinal valley that Deasy travelled in his journey through the country of Rundor. Nain Singh's route lay some distance to the south, but we had crossed it only a couple of days before.
During the latter part of the day's march it was impossible to tell in which direction the surface sloped; except for the inclination towards the south, it was as level as a floor. It is possible, that we crossed over the water-divide before we reached Camp CXXXIII, for its position could only be determined with the help of a levelling tube. Otherwise the threshold must be sought for somewhere between Camp CXXXIII and Camp CXXXIV, and not far from the first-named. Strange to say, it would be vain to search for traces of eroded watercourses in the neigbourhood of Camp CXXXIII: there was not one to be seen on the whole of that level expanse. It was not until the following day that we came across any, and then they ran towards the west. If the theory which I have thrown out above is correct, one would reasonably expect to have found traces of the old emissary that drained the lake; but we did not find any. It was only along the base of the southern range that we noticed anything at all like it. There we did observe a well-defined terrace or escarpment, 4 to 5 m. high, and presenting in profile the appearance shown in the annexed cut (fig. 151 ; also 150). The whole of the lower part of the slope looks as if it had been shorn away. It is not however continuous, but is sometimes interrupted by recently formed gravelly screes. Yet even the bigger screes that block the outlets of the transverse glens have been cut through in a similar manner, proving that the sedimentary matter which has been washed down across the scree since the shearing took place has not been sufficient to cover over and obliterate the old terrace, which was formed at a time when the climate was wetter than it is now. During the succeeding day's march the shearing was even more pronounced. This is, I have no doubt, the last trace of the emissary from the lake, which, as a consequence of the configuration of the ground, crept close in to the southern base of the range, where its erosive activity gave rise to the terrace in question, and at an earlier epoch, when
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