| The Ling - si -tang plains he found extending for 40 or 5o miles from N. W. to S. E. and 17,000 feet high. It was bounded to the south by the Kara-korum, and to the north by a lower range, Lak-tsung. After having crossed this range he reached another plain stretching north to the Kwen-lun. The desert Aksai-chin stretched eastwards. He got the impression that »the main chain of the Kuen Luen terminates as such, somewhat abruptly to the eastward, and at about the 82nd meridian radiates in lower spurs running down into the high table-land of the Aksai Chin ... . A high range bounded the view at a distance of 8o miles to the S. E. This range — either the continuation of the main Karakoram Chain, or a spur from it — was visible, stretching from the head of Chang Chenmo, and trending with a direction of E. N. E. towards the spurs of the Kuen Luen to the eastward.» Hayward here is speaking of a secondary range of hills for the continuation of the great Northern Kara-korum takes a south-easterly direction. He then turned westwards and crossed the Kisil - davan (17, 8 5 9). His camp in Kisil-jilga was at the Upper Kara-kash, a place which formerly had been believed to belong to the Yarkand-darya. Here CROSBY and I have crossed Hayward's route at right angles. The range to the west of the Upper Kara-kash, above Kisil jilga, is the main Kara-korum and water-parting between the Shayok and Kara-kash. Probably Hayward's Thaldat (15,896) with a »spring and ice-bed», is identical with my Camp 300, so much the more as he mentions a considerable lake to the east.' He continued down the river, but as he was the first explorer in this region he could not yet know that it was the Kara-kash. From a point 19,500 feet high, and situated above his camp Kush - maidan , he saw »to the W. and S. the snowy chain of the Karakoram», bounding the view, while northwards was the Kwen-lun. Farther on the Kara-kash turned to the north, and then suddenly to the N. E. Hayward followed the river down. In the prolongation of its valley the snowy peaks of the Kwen-lun could be seen. The river turned N. W. and its valley was called Sarikia (Sarik-kiya) »evidently the Sarka of Moorcroft and the Chinese itineraries.» He found himself here »under the Kwen Luen Range». Hayward proved that the Kara-kash had its source not in the Kwen-lun, but in the Kara-korum. Thus the view of JOHNSON, 1865, had been wrong. Seen from the south, the Kwen-lun looked very sharply marked. He passed Gul-bashem, a place which had been mentioned by MIR IZZET ULLAH. Hayward reached Shahidullah November 20th. He found its height to be 11,745 feet. Here the Suget route comes down, and the Kara-kash goes north piercing the main chain of the Kwen-lun and then turning Cf my vol. IV, p. 221, and PI. 16. |
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