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

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17. Daulatbeg Uldi (height 16,880 feet), 22 miles.—Through a narrow gorge up course of a little torrent for a mile; then enter a wide gully branching off amongst the hills. Soil soft and spongy, slate detritus. Rise gradually to foot of Karakoram Pass, 18,550 feet high, then up a short ascent and down a steep descent over soft clay to a hill slope along the course of a rivulet, and cross it several times en route to camp. The pass is half-way on this march. Breathing affected by the elevation on this wide plateau. Surface bare gravel and clay. From Daulatbeg there are two routes towards Ladakh. One by Ktimdân, the other by Dipsang, and both meet at the Shâyok River opposite Brangsa Saser. The first is only practicable in winter, and is traversed in three stages, viz.—(1.) Across an undulating ravine cut plateau to G-yapshan on the upper course • of the SMyok, 15 miles. (2.) Down the bed of the stream in and out of the water repeatedly, and through a narrow straight where the river bed is very nearly blocked by a vast glacier which has slid down across it, on to a bank of loose pebbles and shingle at the foot of a lofty vertical cliff like a wall. This is Kiimdân, nine miles. (3.) Brangsa Saser. Down the river course, and through another very narrow and winding straight between a great glacier and the opposite cliffs and then down a wide river channel to camp. The passage of the straight is done on the ice or through the stream where it is broken. A difficult road under any conditions. The second and usual route is the following in continuation from Daulatbeg Uldi.

18. Kizil Lan gar, 20 miles.—Over the Daulatbeg plateau, across a shallow stream in a wide deep gully with muddy soft bottom in which cattle stick, and rise up to the Dipsang plain ; wide undulating plateau from which the world around subsides, the highest hill tops only peering above the horizon. Soil soft and spongy, gravel and clay mixed, and, where water logged, boggy. No vegetation. Approximate altitude 17,800 feet. Breathing distressed. From this descend a steep and stony gully into a very narrow, tortuous gorge between high cliffs of red clay; and travelling along in and down its torrent half a mile, enter a wider river bed of rolled pebbles over which the stream flows in a net-work of channels. Rocks roll from the hill tops on either side into the channel. Camp at Kizil Langar, where this channel joins a wider one from the north-west. There is no fuel or forage in all this region.

19. 1Vlurghi (height 15,190 feet), 16 miles.—Route down a net-work of shallow streams on a loose pebbly bottom, crossing them continually. At four miles pass Borsa camping ground on a gravelly talus shelving to the stream bed. At a mile beyond quit river, and pass over projecting bluffs, and again meet it as a raging torrent rolling over great boulders in a tight, winding gorge, and crossing from side to side by narrow fords camp at Muighi on turfy ground, where a gully from the west joins. Road very narrow and difficult, and risk from stone avalanches.

20. Brangsa Saser, 10 miles.—Up the dry, stony gully to the west. At two miles pass Chungtâsh, Great Rock," camp ground at a great erratic boulder on a turfy flat. Then descend rapidly into a deep, dark gully and follow down its winding course till it opens into the Shâyok River; pass up its stream a mile and ford opposite Brangsa.

91. Tûtyâlâk, 15 miles.—Up a rough gully and across a glacier at its water-shed for two or three miles. Then up and down by an extremely difficult path between the side of a vast glacier and the opposite hills, a narrow pass full of angular rocks and snow drifts, and in summer purling with torrents on all sides. At half-way pass Sartang camp ground, an open space menaced by half a dozen glaciers around. Beyond, pass along a widening valley over stretches of turf fringing the stream and sloping up the hill sides, and at a glacier projecting from a valley to the west descend into the bed of the stream flowing from it, and camp on a gravelly flat close under the glacier. Fuel scanty ; pasture in plenty here. An extremely difficult march.

22. Changlung (height 10,760 feet), 11 miles.—.Down left bank of river amidst granite rocks for three miles. Then cross river by a wood bridge, and pass along a steep hill slope of loose gravel and sand above the river course and rise quickly up to the Lamsa crest at eight miles on. From this descent to the secondary ridge of Karâwal Dawân,