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
1 sIL
520 EXPLORERS' JOURNEYS IN HIGH TIBET.
from the western end, carried off the superfluous water, which finally drained into
the low ground and salt lakes to the south.»
»During the month of September the sky remained free from clouds, and the
annoying wind ceased to blow.»
»Before reaching the lake of Aru Tso, the caravan passed many salt ponds,
and finally one small but bitterly salt lake. This lake formed the last vestige of what in olden times was a vast sheet of water, and it had without doubt been connected with Memar Chaka and Aru Tso. The old shores could be distinctly seen high up the mountain-sides. This lake must formerly have had an extent of over
7o square miles.»
»Aru Tso was reached on August 29th. On the shores of the lake the cara-
van halted, and here a most interesting and also important fact was noticed — the waters were fresh. Captain Bower visited this lake in 1890, camped upon and moved along its shores, and writes, 'Like most Tibetan lakes, it is, of course, salt'. Captain Deasy reached Aru Tso in r 896, and his report on the water was that it was drinkable — a term which, when used in reference to Tibetan travel, means that the waters are decidedly saline or foul. And now on our journey in 1903, at the end of August, the water was found to be fresh, absolutely fresh, without the slightest trace of salt or disagreeable mineral in it. This is certainly worth recording, if only for the reason that, as this change has been shown to take place in one great lake of the Tibetan plateau, it is quite possible that at certain seasons or periods other lakes may become altered in character. It is to be hoped that in course of time Aru Tso will again be visited and its water carefully tested.»
»The Aru Tso mountains run north and south for many miles, the western shores of the lake lying close to the foot of the range. These mountains are rugged and precipitous, and their summits are clothed in perpetual snow. The range would be impassable were it not for two cuttings opposite the southern shore of Aru Tso, where two streams have cut their way from the west right through the range. The passage through these openings is easy, as the beds of the streams are almost on a level with the waters of the lake.»
»Bum Tso has an area of about 5 square miles. It is a shallow lake, and is surrounded by flat muddy shores. The water is drinkable, but has a distinctly foul flavour. This without doubt results from there being no continuous overflow, though the lake is perpetually fed by the broad stream along which we had been previously travelling. In all probability Bum Tso overflows its banks at some season of the year; otherwise its waters would be salt.»
Not far from the lake Tai Tso Rawling came into touch with the river Khio, which is identical with my Tsanger-schar; and on his map we find on its bank, at Camp 81, the name Shankar Shah. He says: »This beautiful river poured out from a valley to the east, through meadows of rich short grass. From 3o to I oo yards wide, with a current of 2 miles an hour, it steadily increased in size, being continually fed by springs rising on every side. The bed at times was stony and firm, at
others muddy and treacherous, though everywhere weeds grew freely and trout moved fearlessly along.»
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