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

240   KAWAGUCHI.

:i!

have been spelt differently. I He must have got it from nomads in the neighbourhood and I am glad to see that he spells it almost exactly as I do. His »yungdung» may even be more correct than my »yundung». I have shown above that the name was well known to the Chinese long ago.

However, he went on for some 5 miles, when it began to snow thick and fast. He went towards the N. W. and climbed a snow-clad peak, encouraged by an uncertain hope of emerging upon or near Kang-rinpoche. »Afterwards he ascertained» the name of the peak to be Kon Gyu-i Kangri 2 »that rises 22,650 feet above sea-level.» From where did he get this exact height of the peak ? And where is such a high top 5 miles from Chema-yundung? One of the peaks of Gurla is entered on Ryder's map as being 22,65o feet. The height must have been »ascertained» afterwards. To reach the peak we are told that he turned first north and then east and that he climbed for about I o miles. He had to take a good long rest on the peak and when he awoke he could not tell whether he had slept for one or two nights !

Then he went down again and after another 5 miles came to another mountain stream, Ito yards wide. Happily he found some tents and »stood in the snow» asking for shelter.

Then follows the description of the Manasarovar, where he found that not one of the four rivers actually flows directly out of the lake. Only »the sources of the Tamchok Khanbab have hitherto defied investigation»,3 although he should have needed only a few days to reach the very source from the point where he crossed the Kubi-tsangpo, — if my interpretation is correct.

His way took him over Tokchen Tazam to Kong-gyu-i Tso (Gunchu-tso). From here he did not follow the tasam and did not cross the Maryum-la, but »went on several low undulating hills, and finally reached the lower course of the river Chema Yungdung ... As the season was now well advanced, the river was much shallower ...» 4 He now rode on a yak ... »After proceeding some twenty-five miles to the south-east, on the following day we reached the Brahmaputra, known in this region as Martsan-gi-chu or Kobei-chu, according to the districts which it traversed.»

This time there is no doubt about his route. He crossed the mountains west of the Maryum-la, went over the Chema-yundung in the middle of its course and then over the lowest part of Kubi-tsangpo, which he calls Kobei-chu. Thus it is really the Kubi-tsangpo which he identifies with the Brahmaputra. He calls it »the lordly riven and makes the Kobei and the Martsan the same river, and here he is correct. But

I He cannot have got it from me, for I hardly mentioned the name in my lectures at the Geographical society and the Universities of Japan in November 1908. I mentioned it in February 1909 in the Royal Geogr. Society, but Kawaguchi's book was published the same year.

2 On account of its being near Gunchu-tso?

3 Op. cit. P. 144.

4 Op. cit. p. 176, 185.