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

1

THOMAS W. WEBBER.

230

the Kailas can be sketched to the very beginning of the Brahmaputra valley it is at least 70 miles. This is indeed a long way for one days march. And previously,

from Taklakar to beyond the watershed they had needed three clays for a distance

of 45 miles, I of which one is said to have been a long and trying march of 1- hours». But in the meantime, they were hunting wild yaks in the side valleys, which

seems to have occupied all their attention for two or three days. There are no dates, no distances, no directions, no altitudes, no co-ordinates, no camps, so the reader is completely lost, as when endeavouring to decipher Andrade, Benedict Goes or Grueber and Dorville.

But still they were hunting yaks in »the valleys of the range running eastward of Gurla Mandhata». »And there is a very fine peak called Limi belonging to this range, where some great glaciers exist at the heads of the valleys which debouch into

the river flowing towards the east.   On the map, Limi is situated south of the Gurla
range, and supposing our yak-hunters were opposite to Limi on the northern side of the watershed, and supposing Limi is, as on Webber's map, S.S.E. of the eastern corner of the Manasarovar, the travellers must even here have been some 1 o or 12 miles west of the source of the Sealej.

Regarding the northern valley of the range running eastward of Gurla-mandata he says: 2 All these valleys were of a totally distinct character from the precipitous gorges and canons on the Himalayan side. The climate was almost rainless, and there were no deep valleys cut out by torrents; only rounded ridges with flats lying between, and the streams were few and small, depending almost entirely on the melting of the snow. The country further to the east and north opened out into wide plains, sloping gradually to the river Tsampu, which flows eastward. Here were the sources of the great Brahmaputra, originating from the glaciers of Gurla .. . We could see at times the camping-ground of Duksam, where were some tents of the traders, who had yaks, ponies, and many pack-sheep.,

If no other European had ever been in this part of the country one would have to accept this short and vague description as gospel. But now we possess very good maps and are able to control all the geographical statements given. The passage quoted above is incredible. There were no deep valleys cut out by torrents. In reality the southern tributaries to the uppermost Tsangpo are a succession of deep valleys with rivers. There were only rounded ridges with flats between the valleys. In reality there are very marked rocky ridges, which would be rather difficult to cross. The streams were few and small. In reality they are many, and several of them considerable, one even impossible, or at any rate, very difficult to cross during the summer. The streams were almost entirely dependent upon the melting of the snow. In reality they receive by far the greatest amount of their water from glaciers. The country to the north is said to open out into wide plains. In reality the un-

I On Webber's map, but in reality hardly more than 3o. 2 Op. cit. p. 12S.