CHAPTER XCVI
THE SEARCH FOR THE YANGI DAWAN
ON the morning of September 20th there arrived five sturdy Kirghiz with yaks and a few camels bringing the badly needed supplies of fodder for our animals, and of flour, butter, and sheep for us men. The day passed peacefully, giving rest for my men and a chance of quiet work on notes and plane-table for myself and Lal Singh. It also allowed me to make arrangements for the only exploratory task still remaining. This was to trace Haji Habibullah's route up to the point where it crossed the main Kun-lun range above Karanghu-tagh, and at the same time to determine the position of the ' Yangi Dawan' with reference to our surveys of 1900 and 1906 which had been effected from the other side. Light snow fell overnight ; but on the following morning the sun shone out brightly, and leaving all our own animals and spare baggage behind, we set out with yaks and two lightly laden camels to return to Haji Habibullah's route. The yaks marched splendidly, and by noon we had gained the debouchure of the valley we had previously sighted leading to the pass. The aneroid showed here the same approximate elevation as for Haji Langar, 14,700 feet above the sea.
For about five miles the route up the valley led over broad detritus plateaus along the right bank of a wide drainage bed, absolutely dry. Small cairns, looking as if built yesterday, marked the track all along. Then it crossed a deep gorge coming from the west, where regular walls of rough stones had been built to facilitate descent in zigzags along the steep banks. I could see
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