National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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end, instead of being firm and strong, as at the other, was very brittle and would not bear my weight, so I had to wade through the heavy snow and slush on its banks. I soon came across a warm spring, from which water was decidedly flowing due east. A little further on I encountered a frozen stream, on going along which westward the barometer showed that I was walking up hill. I advanced still further, hoping to get completely round the head of the lake, so as to be quite certain that there was no outlet draining westward, but the walking in the deep snow at so great an elevation had completely exhausted both myself and the man who was with me, and it was with some difficulty that I got back to my horse, and hurrying on with no guide but the tracks in the snow left by the rest of the party, it was with great difficulty that I reached camp, 20 miles from the lake, shortly after dark. On the return journey, the Ressaldar came back by this road, and, according to a promise he had made me, rode completely round the head of the west end of the lake up to the foot of the steep mountain rising on the south side. The snow was then all melted, and water was flowing into the lake from the two sources I have just described, and nothing was flowing out. He then went to the east end, whence a stream was flowing towards Ak tâsh, so this problem has been solved in a-somewhat unexpected manner. The lake has only one outlet, and that eastward, and its waters flow into the Ak-sii, afterwards the Murghb,bi, which joins the Oxus near Wamar, and is in all probability the longest branch of the Oxus.

I have tried hard to discover the true onward course of this Ak-su River. On our return journey we struck it some 14 miles north-north-west of Ak-tash. It flows thence in a northerly direction for 12 miles and then turns off out of sight north-north-west. It is said to flow in a northerly direction for two marches (say 40 miles) from Ak-tash, after which it either joins, or becomes, the Murghabi River changing its course westward and flowing through the Sariz Pâmir to Shighnin. It passes through Bartang, a district of Roshan and joins the river Oxus just above Kila Wamar, the chief town of Roshan.

The Little Pamir Lake is 13,200 feet above the sea level. It lies from south-west by west to north-east by east, and for a length of 3i miles is from 1 to 1i miles in width ; it narrows considerably eastward, where, for about 1i miles it is nowhere more than a few hundred yards in breadth. Nearly opposite the south-east corner, in a side ravine is a large glacier which drains into the Aksû stream shortly after the latter emerges from the lake.

The road passes along the north side of the lake and crosses the watershed two miles beyond the west end at a height of not more than 150 feet above the margin of the lake. Other parts of the watershed, which is nowhere well defined, are probably still lower. The descent beyond is somewhat rapid ; we passed on our left a small stream which rises near the watershed, and takes the drainage of the hills to the south-west of the lake. We went for about seven miles down an open valley, (crossing several small streams flowing down large open ravines on the north), and reached some deserted Kirghiz huts and tombs called

Gombaz-i-Bozai, close to where a large stream, the principal affluent of the Sarhadd branch of the Oxus, comes in from the south-east. This river has it source in the Kanjûd mountains

on the west side of the Kâra.chunkar Pass* which crosses the Shindi or Pimir Rana, south of the Neza Tâsh Pass, and separates the Taghdumbâsh drainage from inéinvaters of the Oxus.

After passing Gombaz our path lay on the right bank of the Sarhadd stream, where we met with a constant succession of steep ascents and descents. The regular path had often to be quitted in order to avoid drifts of snow, which in places lay very deep. In the winter, when the stream is completely frozen over, its hard surface makes a capital road, which is always used by travellers. We passed at a bad season of the year, too late to be able to keep to the ice with safety as it was now breaking up, and yet before the snow on the upper road was melted. Later on in the hot weather, the lower road becomes altogether impracticable, as it is impossible

* The road before mentioned which was once much frequented by Bajaori merchants crosses the Karachunkar Pass. It is now but little used.

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