Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 154 (Color Image)

0154	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

116 PEKING TO LHASA

Pass, 12,820 feet. The descent was rather steep

among grass hills to the broad valley of the

Ta-ch'i, a branch of the Ta Ho. On the west

was the Za-Lung range. At 15 miles he forded

the stony bed of the Ta-ch'i, here 2 feet deep,

and 5 miles farther on left this valley and

ascended the narrower Cha-su-ra, camping at an

elevation of 12,300 feet.

Snow fell that night and on May 25 Pereira had

a disagreeable climb through mud and snow to

the top of the Ch'i Cha-su-ra, 14,607 feet. He

descended to the great Lung-ch'i plain, where the

pasturage was very poor, and camped at 13,987

feet. The day was cloudy and cold. A strong

west wind was blowing with occasional sleet,

and he was in great anxiety about his mules.

Light as their loads were he now found they

ought to have been lighter still. They ought

not to have been heavier than 100 catties or

even less.

The Chü-ri or Chi-da Pass, 14,507 feet, was

crossed on May 26. The ascent was easy and the

descent lay through gloomy valleys between snow-

covered hills for 6 miles to the Lüan-ch'üan plain,

which was mostly sandy with poor pasturage.

Here Pereira encamped by a stream as his mules

were done. He had meant to make only a short

march, but he came across no suitable pasturage

and had to march 19 miles. Consequently one

mule collapsed and died in the night. Another

mule only just crawled in.

From this plain Pereira saw what is of extra-

ordinary geographical interest the great moun-

tain Amné Machin. Rumour had said that it was

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books