Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 217 (Color Image)

0217	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

CHAMDO TO LHASA 165

east. There were trees and bush for the first 6

miles, then bare hills for another 5, after which

trees again. There was a most tedious ascent up

the Baré Chu valley, very steep for the last mile

and a half to the East Semé-gung La, often called

Gung La, at 6 miles. At 8 miles was the West Semé-gung La, 13,300 feet. Then there was a

descent along the hill-side to the Gatung Chu, and

at 12 miles good going across a grass belt. Then

the Gatung is joined by another river and is

called the Sa Chu. Here the valley narrows, and

at 20 miles the road passes through the beautiful

Sa Chu gorge between high fantastic rocky hills

covered with bush in gorgeous autumn tints of

deep red and gold. Such scenery, Pereira thought,

puts the Saxon Schweitz into the shade. The

Sa Chu was here 25 yards wide, of a grey colour

and deep. It was crossed by a brushwood bridge,

and the road then wound round rocky hills to

Lha-tse, 12,350 feet, a village of sixteen families,

where there is also a small temple with thirty

monks. The country was almost uninhabited ;

on the march only four nomad tents were seen.

To the south-east of the Semé-gung La snow had

recently fallen and an icy blast came from that

direction. Otherwise the weather was fine and

warm. The Sa Chu joined by the Jua Chu flows

N.N.E. to join the Salween.

A shorter march of only 15 miles took Pereira to

Pem-bar, and he was glad to rediscover traces of

Huc, which are not on the Indian map, for this is

obviously the Pian Pa of Huc. At 2 miles he

crossed the Jua Chu by a bridge in a ravine 70 feet

deep. It was, like most other bridges, made of

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