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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

THE VALLEY OF MUCHI•SU.   33

coming from a glacier, and in its background considerable snow-covered mountains are seen. It is lyuk or uninhabitable, barren. At the junction of the two valleys we camped on the gravelly ground. The gravel was crystalline schist, gneiss and porphyry in several varieties. The dip some distance above this place was 39° S. 50° W.

On July 18th we travelled W. S. W. 16.4 km. to Muchi, where the altitude

was 3,44o m. or 356 m. lower than Tuyuk-dur camp. The rate of the descent is thus as r : 46.

The valley is covered with gravel in which only sparse steppe-plants grow. The ground falls gradually to the W. S. W. where in the distance the yeilaks of Muchi are visible as dark patches. To our right the mountain range continues with steep screes, and the valley of Mudd is seen to the W. N. W. bounded by considerable but not steep ranges. Finally the country opens out and we ride on nearly level ground where the brook of Muchi is crossed ; its water is not clear, its current is slow and its bed full of gravel. The volume of water was about 2.5 cub. m. per second. The brook of Muchi comes from the W. N. W. Travelling up in this direction

through the Muchi valley one comes to Kara-art, on the watershed between Gez-

darya and Markan-su. On the other side of the pass Kara-art one comes to

Ul-bulak, Kisil-arl and Alai. The northern-most part of the Sarikol valley, in the

vicinity of Kara-art, more than one day's journey from the pass, is called Kiyak-

bash or Kiyak-baslli. It has a karaul of 1 o tents. From the west the valley

Kara-sok enters; it has a road to Kisil-jiyik, but is tuyuk in its upper part

leading to an impossible pass beyond which is the Great Kara-kul. From the

S. W. enters the valley Aramut jilg-a, which also is considerable and has a road

to Rang-kul. Another valley in the west is called Oi-balgan and leads to a pass

of the same name with a road to Rang-kul. The brooks from all these valleys

join the Muchi.

At Muchi the cold is said to be very severe in winter, but the amount of snow is not very great. In spite of the rainy season the Gez-darya was said to be low, and therefore most people bound to Kasha ar preferred it to Ulug-arl, which was regarded as a very bad road. West wind was said to predominate.

At Muchi Naiman Kirgizes were living, at Ayaa arl Chal-teït. The Kara-sok valley is during the winter visited by Naiman Kirgizes, in the summer it is uninhabited,

though it has yeilaks. Naimans are also to be found in the Aramut valley. On

the road to Kara-art there were no Kirgizes. At Muchi some 5o or 6o tents were pitched, and sheep, yaks, ponies and camels were grazing.

The next day, July 19th, our road turns to the S. E. and east for 12.4 km.,

in the very gradually falling valley of the Muchi - su, sinking only 25 m. to Küntimes, where the altitude is 3,415 m. ; the rate is thus 1:496.

5. IX.