国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

214

THE SOURCE OF THE INDUS.

from another point of view: the other tributaries become frozen in winter, but the springs of Singi-kabab flow the whole year round, a circumstance which is very much', in favour of its volume of water.

From Singi-kabab, north-eastward, the valley becomes very broad, and open like a plain, where the road proceeds at some distance from the right bank of the Bokar-tsangpo ; this river now contained a minimal brook partly frozen. To the S.E. the dark rounded mountains and hills are called Jungson. Yama-koto is a dominating massive in the same direction. From the N.W. and N.N.W. the considerable valley Shinglung-ngota enters; at its upper part rather high mountains are seen. At the foot of a little dark rock the Shinglung joins the Bokar-tsangpo, which is the greater of the two, although both are very small brooks. Jekung-ra is a camping-place at the N.W. mountain foot, and Jekung-tso is a minimal salt lake or rather a pool between hills and rocks close to the left of the road.

So far the ascent is extremely slow. The ground is hard, barren, and covered with fine gravel. Through a rocky gorge the road goes up to the little secondary threshold Jekung-la, 5,294m. (17,364 feet) high. At the S.E. foot of this pass the Bokartsangpo joins the Lamo-tsangpo; the Bokar valley seems to corne from the east, and it is said to be nearly one day's march to its beginning in the Dukjunke-la pass; my guide could not give any information about the country east of this pass, but it is pretty certain that the eastward drainage goes to Aong-tsangpo and Nganglaring-tso.

From Jekung-la the view reaches far to the south and S.W. where several flat ridges are seen covered with some snow and belonging to the range. On the other side of the pass the road comes in contact with the Lamo-chu, which has more water than the Bokar-tsangpo, though it is also a minimal brook. The valley is very flat, broad and open, surrounded by dark, violet, strongly weathered rocks; some grass grows along the brook. Shantse-gong is a hill to the N.W. A comparatively great valley enters from the S.E. with a brook, smaller than the Lamo-chu which comes from the N.N.W. From here the ascent goes up to Lamo-latse-la, 5,426m. (17,797 feet) high, which is the most important on the road to Yumba-matsen, as being situated on the waterparting between the Indian Ocean and a basin without outlet on the plateau-land.

The continuation north-eastwards will be described in another part (Vol. III) of this work. Suffice it to say here that the upper Indus flows between two fairly parallel ranges, though very irregular and interrupted. The range on the left side of the Indus contains the sources of the Munjam-tsangpo, Lungdep-chu and Tsetichu and continues north-westwards, while the Bokar-tsangpo comes from the water-parting between the Indus and Aong-tsangpo. The range to the right side of the Indus is a part of the continental water-parting, and I crossed it twice; it is also to be described in Vol. III. I

I In three days I accomplished the wandering on the pilgrims' road round Kang-rinpoche or Kailas. I have given a description of it in »Trans-Himalaya», II, p. 189-203.