Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 113 (Color Image)

0113	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

TO LAN-CHOW 79

the cheerful name of " The Grave of Ten Thousand

Men ". It was situated on a cold draughty spot at an elevation of 14,300 feet. From here the valley

opens out facing the snow hills. After a mile the

actual ascent of the pass begins. It was not very

steep but was slippery owing to frozen snow and ice. The summit is 15,600 feet above sea-level

and is 131 miles from Jih-lung-kuan. A fair

amount of traffic was passed on the way. The

descent was very steep and rocky for the first

3 miles, but the cold winds were left behind and

the sun was hot for the hill-sides faced south.

Pereira put up for the night at a solitary hovel

called an inn situated in the wilderness at an elevation of 12,850 feet. The accommodation

was poor, but his relief was great for he had now

crossed the second of the great passes he had

dreaded for his frost-bitten foot.

No Tibetans were seen on the east side of the

Pass. The descent was continued the next day to Hsin-tien-tzu, 9000 feet. Even at midday the

ink froze, and in the evening it was very cold. In

the inn was a wretched man lying in rags in an

icy room far from a fire and groaning with pain

from some internal complaint. No one took any

interest in him. And Pereira marvelled at the

way in which hundreds of coolies will carry loads

year after year over these mountains in the depth

of winter and for a mere pittance. They are

clothed in rags, and if they get ill no one cares

for them.

The descent of the Teng-ts'un Ho valley was

continued on the 23rd for 18 miles to an eleva-

tion of 7050 feet. Then the ascent towards

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