| INHOSPITABLE REGIONS. 213 The soil is partly gravel, partly yellow earth and dust, which, judging from systems of crevices, is soft and floating in the summer. The footprints of antelopes are deep, showing that the light animals had trodden the ground before it was frozen. Since the day before, we follow a well-marked path which seems to be used by antelopes. Tracks of wolves were also seen. Now there were no animals at all. In the western part of the day's march, there was ice in the chief erosion bed of the valley which had well-developed terraces. The latter became lower towards the east and finally disappeared. About halfway, a tributary enters from the south, of nearly the same size as our valley. The plants became rarer and finally ceased altogether. At Camp CCLXXXIX, the valley was perfectly barren. To the east the view is open far away and the farthest mountains in that direction do not seem to be snow-covered. According to the general maps of Tibet at my disposal and my own survey of 1906, we should have about 68 miles to Camp VIII of the previous crossing, at which I aimed and where grass was to be found, which was necessary, as the animals would die of starvation if the country remained barren. In fact, this distance proved to be 74 miles. The living rock at the camp was dark greyish brown limestone. Dense pink limestone had also been found at Camp CCLXXXV. On December 271h, we continued E. N. E., for 4.8 km. falling only 4 m., as Camp CCXC had a height of 5,379 m. The rate was here 1 :1200 or nearly level. The clouds were impenetrable and the minimum temperature of the night, therefore, only —19.I°. The upper parts of the surrounding mountains were hidden by mist. In spite of this weather, no snow fell. The snow-patches on the ground became more and more rare and thin, and their surface was, as a rule, dirty or yellow from wind-driven dust. The valley again becomes broader. From the south, a large tributary valley joins it. Along the base of the northern mountains , there is a bed with ice. The latter sometimes is convex or cupola-shaped, probably from the pressure of spring-water from below. Grass on the slopes of the northern hills caused us to camp early. In the erosion terrace at their base, the rock was dark grey sandstone. The wind had begun from the east, and then turned around to south and finally S. W. and remained so the whole day. Here the first yak dung was found. On December 281h, we made 13.4 km. E. S. E., descending 8o m. to Camp CCXCI, where the height was 5,299 m.; the rate is thus as 1 :168. The minimum temperature was only —17.4° and the clouds very heavy, but it snowed only a few minutes and very lightly. A very strong west wind blew from noon until evening. In this part of the valley, snow was seen only in ravines and beds and on slopes falling to the north. Just E. S. E. of the camp, we cross a ridge of very low hills, 5,346 m. high, south of which there was a sheet of ice, from the eastern end of which an unusually | |
IIIFカラー高解像度
