by the terraces which occupy the bottom; and at the lower end a deep, impassable gorge. Sometimes there is no relatively habitable middle part of a valley; . and a U-shaped glacial trough gives place abruptly to a V-shaped canyon. Nevertheless, the threefold division and its appropriate response in the habits of organic beings give the essential features of the geography of Ladakh.
Arid, inhospitable, and rugged as Ladakh may be, its clear air, bracing climate, and splendid scenery make the traveler long to return to it. The stony villages and ugly people have a peculiar charm. After leaving the Mohammedan villages in the vicinity of Zoji La and Kurgil, we had our first glimpse of the genuine Buddhist Ladakh at the hamlet of Maulbeck. A winding climb of several hundred feet up a massive tooth of limestone brought us to a lamasery, two whitewashed buildings with bands of red around the top, prominent landmarks, perched on a lofty pinnacle above the broadened upper part of a bleak open valley, surrounded by snowy mountains. Two of the lamas, or monks, clothed in the regulation gowns, caps, and boots, all of purplish red, received us. One, a young man of twenty, led us into the dark room which served as a temple. The other, the head lama, a little, beardless old man, with a most bland and innocent expression, showed us his own small room, which appeared to be the real sanctuary. Our guide from the village, a young man wearing a greasy pig-tail and a long gray gown of wool, prostrated himself on his knees before the door, and touched his forehead to the ground repeatedly. We were not invited to enter. As we gazed in through the door, the room appeared
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