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

A STRANGE DESCRIPTION OIL THE SOURCE OF THE BRAHMAPUTRA.   229

the text. But both disagree with the reality. For, provided the Dak Eo is situated only some 14 miles E.S.E. of Gurla's highest summit, as on Webber's map, they could not possibly have reached the upper feeders of the Brahmaputra without having crossed at least the age-tsangpo, or the glacier brook from Ganglung-gangri. Such a fact might have been omitted in the text, but why should it be omitted on the map, where their route from the Dak Eo goes directly down to the sources of the Brahmaputra»

However, they are now somewhere in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra.

There were no inhabitants, the valleys were desolate, »there was ridge succeeding ridge, and sloping valleys intervening, all so like one another that it was hard to distinguish one's locality. The compass had often to be consulted if the great summit of Gurla Mandhata was lost to view, and our shikaris were often in doubt as

to our direction ...   Near the source of the river the Gurla cannot be seen at all!

Webber has another surprising piece of news in store for his readers. For at

one occasion„ he and his party »suddenly» found themselves on the watershed of the Indus! I Far beneath them and only some miles away was the Manasarovar. Towering above all the mountains they saw the sacred Kailas. They sat down for a while to enjoy the wonderful and extensive panorama, and sketched it in water colours as a record of our tramp,.

In connection with the source of the Satlej and the Indus I have tried to solve

this problem. Wherever you choose to place the source of the Brahmaputra, — and there have indeed been many proposals in that way — the Kailas cannot be seen from anyone of them, at any rate not from anyone of the sources of the southern branches.

I do not know whether it can be seen from the Maryum-la. But the Manasarovar cannot be seen from the Maryum-la. RYDER and RAWLING crossed the Maryum-la on November 26th and: »came in sight of the Manasarowar lake on November 30». 2 From the neighbourhood of none of the southern sources can the lake be seen. It is invisible from the whole region of the uppermost Tsangpo. And still Webber saw it beneath him and only some miles away. And as a record of his tramp he sketched the whole panorama with the lake, the Kailas and all. Moreover, between the shore of the Manasarovar and his own standing point »the foreground was flat, rolling hills and ridges sloping gradually towards the lake . . .» Such a description of the foreground, and S.E. of the lake is correct, but only at a distance of some miles» from the lake.

"Next day (after having sketched the Manasarovar etc.) we marched a long way eastward along the northern slopes of the Gurla range, following the valley of the Brahmaputra., - 3 They marched along the Gurla range and in the valley of the Brahmaputra at the same time! From any point from which the Manasarovar and

I Op. cit. p. 126.

2 Ryder, loc. cit. Geographical Journal Vol. XXVI,

3 Op. cit. p. 127.

. 387.