Another easy march of 121-- miles brought Pereira to Rin-chen-ling, in the same valley. The going was fair, though rather stony. The valley was mostly about 400 yards wide, and there was some brush and scrub, but no longer the beautiful autumn tints. Only two solitary houses for the courier service were passed. Three mountain torrents were crossed by brushwood bridges. Rin-chen-ling, 13,150 feet, has twenty-one families, and lies in a rather stony valley on the left bank of the Shung Chu. The rooms in the hovels are poor and draughty, sometimes with a hole in the roof for additional light.
Pereira completed his 3500 miles of walking on October 14 and reached Me-tro-kong-kar, 17 4 miles. There was a great change in the country, the road leading down a broad flat valley at first, three-quarters of a mile wide, and then opening out to 12 to 2 miles. It was the flattest and most open country he had seen since leaving the country north of Jye-kundo. The hills were only 500 to 800 feet above the valley, and were covered only with grass and low scrub. There were practically no trees except a few round the villages, and dwarf cedar and small evergreens along the banks of rivers. The going was fair but stony. Eight small villages were passed, but none had more than eight houses ; and there were other villages on the opposite side of the valley. There were also some big square two-storied, flat-roofed houses of the better class. The last of the barley crop was being gathered in. Metro-kong-kar, 12,290 feet, was a village of thirty-seven families, with some good stone and mud houses. The day was chilly and was the first
IIIF Color HighRes
