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0417 Tibet and Turkestan : vol.1
Tibet and Turkestan : vol.1 / Page 417 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000231
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Appendix A

279

chain, always snow-capped, and also showing rounded characteristic smooth forms. This chain sometimes receded from the line parallel to our route, but seemed never to lose its continuity until merged in the Karakoram range.

On the south side the colour was bright brick-red, the forms sharp, turret-like, fantastic, suggesting relatively short and violent hydraulic action. So great was the difference that I was led to suppose the southern chain may have resulted from some later earth-movement than that which gave birth to the northern range. These two characteristic forms and colours are found mingled in inextricable confusion at both ends of the valley; and, again, the chapels, towers, and minarets of red appeared along the short valley which we ascended near Camp Purgatory. This appearance has probably given rise to the misplaced name Kizil Jilga, shown farther south on existing maps. The Kirghiz had never heard of this name as belonging to this locality, nor, indeed, of any of the names shown on the R.G.S. or the latest Russian map, as along and near the Karakash. They applied the name Kizil Jilga to a big red mountain on the Karakoram route. As in all this region there are no inhabitants other than the Kirghiz met by us, it would perhaps be well to omit these noms de fantaisie from future maps. The two lakes shown on our route deserve, on the other hand, that some name be given them. One, of fresh water, is possibly that called Lake Lighten by Wellby. The other lake is salt, and has been visited by natives, we thought, because a trail was seen near it, which we tried to follow, but vainly,—it gradually disappeared in the sands. Perhaps it had been made only by wild yak and wild horses. A remarkable lowering in the level of the lake seems to have taken place in recent years. Well-defined banks stand up about fifteen feet from the