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

TIlE SURLA RANGE.

359

secondary, though much higher than the first class water-parting passes, such as

Surnge-la and Samye-la.

The high mountains all round do not allow of any distant view from Sur-la. At the N.W. side of the pass there is a frozen moraine pool, and here, too, some apophyses of ice reach the bottom of the valley; some very small glaciers are seen on both sides. From all of them brooks originate, gathering to a pretty large stream in the middle of the valley. The whole bottom of the upper part oft hind valley is full of old moraines, more or less hidden by moss. The valley gradually increases in breadth, and turns N.N.W. At Camp 431 the height is 5 443 m and the region is called Dunglung.

The valley of Dunglung-chu finally joins the Pedang-tsangpo in its very broad valley which is more like a plain. The mountains between Pedang-tsangpo and Dunglung send out a ramification, the last hills of which are crossed by our road. Where we reach the Pedang-tsangpo its terrace is 7 m high. At Camp 432 the height is 5 069 m. The river here had very little water, not even one cub. m. To the north and N.N.E. the continuation of the Surla range is visible, and it shows itself, from the west as well as from the east, to be a very sharp marked range with pyramidal peaks, great snow-fields, and many small glaciers. From this side we see that the range is meridional to the neighbourhood of Ka-la, but then slowly turns N.N.W. where it finally becomes lower and dies away. To the N. 20° E. and not far away is a comparatively high peak of this range, and south of it is a valley, Tsole-yungdokas, with a brook joining the Donglung-chu. To the S. 6 i° W. is a peak, and the region Pedang-pu, from which comes the greatest part of the Pedangchu. There is also a first class water-parting pass, Pedang-la, south of which the drainage is said to go to Tuksum. Beyond Pedang-pu is Shangu-la, to the S.W. Gäbyi-la; W.S.W. is a double valley, Chima-nyung-chung, and in the same direction a more dominant snowy peak. West of the Pedang valley is a range which I have called the Pedang range. It seems to be parallel to the Surla range, that is to say, its northern part is meridional, while the southern turns south-eastwards and continues, as the Tibetans put it, some distance east of Shamsang-tasam.

The very considerable and broad valley of Pedang-tsangpo slopes gradually to the N.N.E. To begin with the soil is full of gravel, but, later on, becomes convenient and is grown over with some grass. The right side terrace is gradually transformed into a series of reddish hills; to the left no terrace is developed. Our road crosses two more watercourses joining the Pedang-tsangpo which now carries 5 cub. m.

Only at one place, a little isolated hill, is living rock found, viz., granite. The ground is sometimes very swampy and crossed with great ice sheets. To the right

the Surla range dominates the landscape. One of its peaks, to the N.E., is called Godang-gangri, and south of it there is a glacier, with a brook, Tsole-tsangpo, joining the Pedang-tsangpo at Camp 433 ; a series of other small glaciers appear in the transverse valleys of the range. From the point where our road again crosses