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

THE CHEMA-YUNDUNG AND THE KUBI-TSANGPO.   239

But he does not mention Tuksum or any other place in its neighbourhood, and on his sketch map he has not crossed the Tsangpo at all on his way to the Manasarovar. Which is then this extraordinary river?

After leaving the sand-beach of the Brahmaputra he came to another undulating plain, where he followed the upper course of the river to the N.W. and saw the titanic heights of the Himalayas, rising one above another,". He found them incomparably more sublime than what one sees from Darjeeling or Nepal, which of course is exaggerated. The Brahmaputra »looked like a shining streamer hung out from the bosom of a great mountain, and waving down and across an immense plain,' and here he composed a verse: »The distant clouds about the snowy range pour forth the mighty Brahmaputra stream.»

Wherever he is now, he ought to be on the northern side of the Tsangpo, for, coming from the south, he has crossed the river once. However, he continued and found a country full of pools from i oo yards to a mile in circumference. In the afternoon next day he carne to »the base of a huge mountain of snow», which he could not think of crossing. Then he covered 27 miles without a drop of water either, and was tortured by thirst. Where was he ? At the upper part of the Tsangpo, — and for miles and days not a drop of water, — in July!

We turn over a few pages more in the book and find the thread. He came to the foot of a mountain, which he climbed and saw a »mountain stream» flowing across the road. The river broadened into a lake, and almost described a right angle when flowing out of this and into another basin. Afterwards I ascertained the name of this river to be Chema-yungdung-gi-chu, and that its waters flowed into the Brahmaputra.» He had great trouble in crossing the Chema-yundung and »found ice quite thick still along its banks» — in July ! He walked over and had water up to his shoulders. He estimated the breadth at 18o yards »more or less».

The Chema-yundung is the last of the Tsangpo's feeders he touches, and he is right in regarding it as a tributary to the Brahmaputra. He comes from the south. He has crossed the Kyang-chu, the main river and the Chema-yundung. On his sketch-map he has only two crossings, the first of which, Kyang-chu, corresponds in reality to Kubi-tsangpo, and the second to Chema-yundung. But where is the Brahmaputra-crossing? The map is unreliable. What he calls the crossing of the Brahmaputra has simply been the crossing of Kubi-tsangpo. And thus he is right in calling the Kubi-tsangpo Brahmaputra, for in reality it is the upper course of this river and all other watercourses are tributaries.

He was alone with his two sheep and only »afterwards» he »ascertained the name of this river» as Chema-yundung. He did not need to ascertain anything regarding the main river which he knew was the Brahmaputra. But where was he told and who told him the name ? If he had got it from Chinese texts it would

I Op. cit. p. 119.