IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
| |||||||||
|
| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Overland to India : vol.1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Information
CHAPTER XX
DESERT MIST
A MIST, denser than before, lies spread over the desert on
the morning of January io, and not the slightest gleam of the sun is able to penetrate the thick layer. Murkiness
prevails during the greater part of the day, and all objects
200 yards away are invisible. Of Elburz, Siah-kuh, and the other smaller heights in the fringe of rocks between
which we steer out to the open sea of the desert, we have
not a glimpse, and of course I am unable to take bearings of their summits for my map. The weather is agreeable
for travelling, and dark glasses are not necessary ; at
present the path is excellent, and only here and there is a patch of snow left in sheltered places. All the shrubs
and stalks, however, are decked, after 9.2° of frost in the
night, with innumerably long crystals of hoar-frost, which make the ground look as though it were sprinkled with
white. At two o'clock a change in the weather sets in ; it begins to blow from the north, the mist thins and disappears entirely at four o'clock, and finally only a few clouds hover over the horizon, obstinately hiding Elburz and Siah-kuh, and the pretty rime evaporates and melts away before the beams of the sun.
The loading of the camels is accomplished more quickly this day, and we set out in good time for a march of 15 miles in a direction S. 65° E. Immediately beyond the camp the snow still remains for some reason, and the hoarfrost
falls from the shrubs like fine down as the camels brush against them. The caravan moves at a quicker pace than usual, as may be known from the loud, hurried
210
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright (C) 2003-2019 National Institute of Informatics and The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.