THE PLATEAU-LAND. 23
In these high regions there was no trace of a path. One has to consult the compass, the morphological features and the existing maps. From the pass a little valley goes down to the N. E., N. and again N. E. It is bounded by comparatively low hills, and in its middle there is a little brook. The fall is extremely slow. There is no kind of vegetation. The ground of the valley is very fatiguing, for it is a quagmire of soft, wet mud mixed with some gravel, in which men and animals sink a foot and a half at every step. The mountains consist of soft material and are more like heaps of detritus. They are low and their forms rounded. Sometimes very small brooks enter from the sides. At the point where the valley turns to the E. N. E., a valley joins from the west. In the corner of the junction a cairn was built, perhaps very old. It may be that the valley from the west comes from Changlung-barma, a pass which, according to the natives, was situated at a very short distance N. W. of Chang--lung yog-ina. Our valley becomes somewhat bigger after the junction. The journey goes partly on the slopes of the hills at the left side, partly in the bottom of the valley. From the snow-patches on the sides, small brooks trickle down, to the greatest extent sub-terranean. In every hole after the animals' feet, grey water gathers at once. The main brook grows slowly; it flows perfectly silently, not forming rapids at a single place. The valley is winding in all directions. The living rock is as rare as before, and consists of grey sandstone with patches of rust. Camp II was pitched at the entrance of a tributary valley from the left, which also has a little brook. There was no grazing whatever to be found, and could not be expected on a height of 5,552 m.
September 2 nd. The distance to Camp III is i 9.2 km. to the E., N., and E. The fall in this distance is i 70 m., as Camp III is at a height of 5,382 m. The rate is, therefore, i : i i 3 , which is indeed very gradual for the slope of a gigantic mountain range. As a matter of fact it cannot be noticed with the naked eye. The form of the mountains around Camp II will be seen on Panorama 13, Tab. 3.
The march goes along the brook in the winding valley in front of which, i. e. east of Camp II, there is a mountain group with steep sides and some living rock at its upper part. The rest of the surrounding mountains are low and rounded. The valley turns in a semi-circle around a mountain, from which several subterranean brooks come down betraying their existence by the dark colour of the ground above
them, which also is soft and treacherous. The brook, at the right hand of our route, flows close along the foot of the steep mountain mentioned above. At the point where we again reach the brook there was a cairn 1 m. high and covered with a flat stone. It was old. Other nishans in the valley had been erected by my own men. The living rock, cropping out at the left side, was grey sandstone as before, slightly quartzitic and with patches of rust.
IIIFカラー高解像度
