Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 266 (Color Image)

0266	Among the Celestials : vol.1

224 AMONG THE CELESTIALS. [CHAP. IX.

serious difficulty, and in the evening halted

close up to the head of the glacier where

snowy mountains of stupendous height shut

us in on every hand. At dusk the two men 1

who had been sent out to reconnoitre the

new pass returned, to say that the ice had so

accumulated on it that it would be now quite

impossible to take ponies over, and that it 1

would be difficult even for men to cross it.

The plan which they therefore suggested was

to leave the ponies behind, and cross the range

by the Old Mustagh Pass, push on to Askoli,

the first village on the south side of the range, a

and from there send back men with supplies

for the ponies and the men with them sufficient

to enable the caravan to reach Shahidula, on

the usual trade route beteen Yarkand and :1

Kashmir. This was evidently all we could do. a

We could not take the ponies any farther, and

we could not send them back as they were,

for we had nearly run out of supplies, and

Shahidula the nearest point at which fresh

supplies could be obtained, was one hundred

and eighty miles distant. All now depended

upon our being able to cross the pass. If we

were not able to, we should have to march this

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