Innermost Asia : vol.1 / Page 109 (Color Image)

0109	Innermost Asia : vol.1

yā 'Alī madat, scribbled across the cruciform portion of the Stūpa, with another Yā Muhammad yā
Muhammad yā 'Alī below it. To the left of the Stūpa, written vertically, we read the names
Khāwar Shāh Shāh Khushwaqt and in the left top corner Yā 'Alī madat pādshāh Mardān. Finally
across the lowest base of the Stūpa is scrawled the record, ba kalam Murād Bēg. None of the persons
here named seems capable of definite identification at present ; for the name of Khushwaqt appears
to have been borne not solely by the founder of the family ruling Yāsin and Mastūj since the
beginning of the eighteenth century, but also by at least two of his descendants.¹⁰

Close above this spot the track took us to the moraine on the east side of the much-crevassed Ascent of
glacier that descends from the pass. After scrambling up this to an elevation of nearly 14,000 glacier to
feet, we crossed the glacier in a zigzag line to avoid crevasses. Further progress lay along its Darkōt
snow-covered western moraine, past precipitous cliffs and avalanche slopes, until easier ground pass.
was gained at about 14,600 feet on snow-beds flanking the head of the glacier. At last, after four
hours' steady climbing, we reached the broad and flat expanse of snow that forms the crest of the
pass (Fig. 43). The reading there taken with the mercurial mountain barometer indicated a height
of 15,250 feet, closely approximating to that recorded in the Trans-frontier map sheet (15,380 feet).

This great firn bed was the same to which my ascent of May 17, 1906, had brought me, and Kao Hsien-
the full description then recorded in my Personal Narrative¹¹ makes it unnecessary to note further chih's
topographical details about this remarkable pass. It will suffice to mention that though the gather- crossing of
ing snow clouds soon deprived me of a full view to the south, I was once more greatly struck by Darkōt.
the contrast which the steep glacier bed on that side, confined between precipitous spurs, presented
to the wide snowy expanse of the summit and to the gentle slope of the mighty ice stream flowing
down from it towards the Yārkhun gorges (Fig. 48). It was easy for me to realize again on the
spot the feelings of dismay which filled Kao Hsien-chih's Chinese 'braves' when they had been
brought to this height and found what a descent lay before them, and to appreciate the great
qualities of their leader, who by combined boldness and stratagem assured final success in his
adventurous enterprise.

Section III.—FROM THE YĀRKHUN HEAD-WATERS TO THE TĀGH-
DUMBĀSH PĀMĪR

On the top of the Darkōt pass I was met by the late Captain H. F. D. Stirling, of the 57th Glacier
(Wilde's) Rifles, then commanding the Chitrāl Scouts and officiating as Assistant Political Agent routes from
in Chitrāl. The hardy Mastūjī porters whom that young officer, himself an expert mountaineer, Darkōt
had brought up in person were most welcome. But less so the information he gave me that the pass.
north-eastern of the two glacier routes from the Darkōt to the Yārkhun valley had been blocked
for the past three years by impracticable bergschrunds which had formed above the foot of the
glacier. When discussing Kao Hsien-chih's crossing of the Darkōt in Serindia, I have had occasion
to call special attention to the interesting orographic fact that from the great firn beds on the very
top of the pass there descend northward two separate glaciers filling valleys which diverge at
right angles.¹ I have also shown there reasons for the belief that Kao Hsien-chih's route lay over
the north-eastern glacier, which descends the Kachil valley and ends a short distance above the
grazing ground of Showar-shur on the uppermost Yārkhun river.

This route, which conveniently connects with the low Shawitakh pass leading across the Oxus Route to
watershed close to the east of the Barōghil saddle, was described by reliable reports as the easier Showar-
of the two routes previous to the glacier change above mentioned. It was then regularly used shur and
Shawitakh
pass.

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

Citation Information

OCR Text

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