A PASS OF 5,50' M. 79
to reconnoitre, as the single way of saving the rest of the caravan was to get out of this labyrinth of barren mountains.
On October 21s1. we went 7.2 km. E. S. E. Camp XL V was at 5,386 m., Camp XL VI at 5,390 m., or nearly at the same level. Between the two is the second pass of this system, being 5,491 m. high. The rise to this pass is, therefore, 105 m. in 4.7 km. or as I : 45, and the descent 1 o 1 m. in 2.5 km. or as 1 :25. The route goes up and down over flat hills and through gravelly furrows, which nearly everywhere contain ice-sheets as springs are very numerous. On the little pass it snowed again and very little was to be seen of the landscape around. Hitherto snow had been comparatively rare, but as soon as we came up into these high mountains, it snowed day and night, though never in great quantities. The snow did not seem to have any tendency to accumulate into great masses, for it evaporates very quickly during sunny days. Sunshine and precipitation are generally changing many times in the course of one and the same day, as was the case on October 2 Ht. So much could always be made out from this pass, that a mountain rose in front of us to the east.
Below the pass the hard rock was augit-hornblende-diorite-porphyrite. In the valley going down to Camp XL VI, there was more snow than hitherto.
The next day's march, on October 22nd, was I I.' km. to the S. E. Cane XL VI was at an elevation of 5,390 m., Camp XL VII at 5,223 m. In the middle there was another pass 5,501 m. high. We had 5.5 km. to ascend III m. or as 1:50; the descent was 278 m. in a distance of 5.6 km. or as 1 : 2 0. From Camp XL VI the route ascends flat, soft hills and crosses the erosion furrows between them. The whole land is snow-covered. There is no grass. Following a valley to the S. S. E., we reach the pass with an elevation of 5,501 m. Pan. 58, Tab. 9 shows the view over the hilly land to the N. E., east and S. E. To the S. 63° E. a part of the plain is visible; its colour is yellow and there is no grass. To the S. S. E., south, S. S. W. the hills are completely covered with snow. To the N. E. one sees the continuation of the range we are crossing, and it seems that the whole system continues in that direction, probably turning more and more E. N. E. and east. The range containing our pass is sending ramifications and flat hills down to the plain. At a greater distance nothing could be seen, as the horizon was concealed in dark clouds and snow-storms. Near the pass the rock was dark grey schistose clastophyric quartzite. From the pass we go down the snowy slopes, crossing some ravines and watercourses and finally reach a slope with yapkak, moss and grass amongst sharp-edged gravel. Thence we go down to the principal watercourse of this part of the range. It flows, though now dry, to the east across the plain and turns more and more south to the next lake. Crossing this bed and marching along the base of the hills to our right, we finally reach Carne XL VII, where we at last had left the extremely difficult mountain
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