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

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THE SOURCE OF THE BRAHMAPUTRA.

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impossible to ford ; not for the water which could amount to some 1 o cub.m., except the northern green coloured branch with perhaps 4 or 5 cub.m., but on account of the

consistence of the river-bed. Those parts of the broad level bed which were occupied

by running water were hard and could easily be crossed; but such parts which were only moist and not touched by the current were quagmires in which the ponies sank down. After their junction I estimate the brooks, i. e. the very head of the Kubi-tsangpo, at some 15 cub.m. The river flows eastwards, and soon widens out to the long

lake at the western shore of which we had our Camp 201. In the uppermost part of this lake or widening, the Kubi receives the brooks of the Absi- and Ngomadingding-glaciers, carrying perhaps 5 cub.m. each, making in all 25 cub.m. To this comes the amount of Shapke-chu, Dongdong-chu, and some few brooks from melting snow, and finally the brook of Lungyung, in all amounting to at least 15 cub.m. This estimate is roughly made under the influence of the measured 34 cub.m. at Shamsang. But as the river at Shamsang rises strongly towards evening and night, the above estimates are probably much too low. This, however, is not of great importance for we have already settled the problem and found that the Kubi-tsangpo is 31/2 times as mighty as the Chema-yundung and Maryum-chu together.

On July 14th the Camp was moved to the mouth of the Dongdong valley. I took the way over the hills to the west to get a last view of this wonderful place which was perhaps the most interesting I touched on the whole journey of 1906-1908. The rise is steep through ravines, amongst blocks, gravel and melting snow, three small moraine-lakes are passed, and some small brooks, and finally we reach the very top of the hills, where the view is free all round the horizon. The weather was perfectly clear, and I could take a series of photos of the Kubi-gangri which is specially important to check the panorama which I drew from the same point. The height was here 5,310 m. (17,417 feet) or 470 m. above Camp 201.

From this place the Nangsa-la was shown to the S. 5o° E. If this information be correct, the Gyang-chu can hardly get any water at all from the southern side of the Kubi-gangri, which under such conditions drains only to the Map-chu. The problem can only be solved by new exploration. To the S. 2 7° E. is the peak Ngoma-dingding and S. i I° E. the peak Absi; the Ngoma-dingding glacier is visible between both, and the Absi glacier to the west of the Absi peak. The highest point on the Mukchung-simo ridge is to the S. 24° W. ; it is situated on the west side of the Absi glacier. There are several small hanging glaciers, looking N.W., situated in the upper parts of the steep and short valleys or gorges of the Mukchung. In the background of the Langta-chen glacier, to the S. 57° W., two very flat conical peaks with eternal snow are visible; they are said to be called Langtachen. S. 70° W. and S. 88° W. are the culminations of the massive Gave-ting. N. 55° W. are three peaks belonging to the massive Dongdong, which otherwise is hidden by hills and moraines in our neighbourhood. From this massive the brook starts, near which Camp 202 was pitched.

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