Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 182 (Color Image)

0182	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

136 PEKING TO LHASA

found in Tibet ; there were many small wild-

flowers, though still no trees. It was a fine hot

day, and he discarded his vest for the first time in

Tibet and looked about for a shady spot at the

end of the march.

Next day he crossed the Ba Chu valley for

three miles, seeing three or four gazelle, a marmot

and two hares, besides the usual " ara " rats.

Then he reached the hills and followed up the

narrow valley of the Rong-do stream, which was

2 feet deep and flowing swiftly. The hills were

high and rocky, but there was grass on them,

and a little scrub and three small trees, and the

valley was thick with small wildflowers. In it

were a few small Tibetan camps. At 104 miles

he started a steep climb over a hill and then

over a southerly spur and up a bleak winding

valley to the summit of the Shung La Pass,

15,724 feet, on the Yangtze-Mekong divide, and the

highest point he had yet reached. The descent

from this was very steep and stony, but at 16

miles from Ba Chu the way led down the pleasant

Jye Chu valley, which, though stony and marshy

in part, had some good grazing and was occupied

by some Tibetan camps.

Travelling was now proving much pleasanter.

On July 12 he followed down the Jye Chu, which

is here joined by the Yeay Chu and forms the

Lung Chu. It was a nice grassy valley lying

between high rugged peaked hills of fantastic

shapes. At 6 miles the La Chu stream from

the north was forded, and from there the way

was between grass hills with at last some small

fir trees and a fair amount of scrub. At 11

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