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the water of the lake from that which accumulated by the slope of the surrounding
upland, directing the melted snow into it. At the end of this natural barrier I saw
a point of rock running into the lake, from the top of which I flattered myself I
should have a prospect that would command the whole of the shore to the south-
west corner, and put an end to a task which I now found somewhat too much for
the little strength I possessed. But I was severely disappointed: for on mounting a
steep hill, of which the point in question formed the front to the lake, another large
mountain intervened to prevent my view, with a deep valley between it and that
which I had too hastily concluded would finish my labour. When I had reached
the summit of this, another equally high presented itself.»

At 4 o'clock he reached a height, from where he could see the whole of the
rest of the shore except a little bit hidden by a high promontory. To that place
he sent one of his men to look out for an outlet. In the meantime the weather
cleared up and he got a better view of the shore, except the hidden part. Numer-
ous traces of water-courses were leading into that place, the most important of
them being the Krishná, sweeping down a ravine between two high mountains of
the Himálaya range, and expanding like a sheet as it approached the verge of the
lake; but not a break, nor any other appearance indicated the escape of any river
or even of any small stream from it. — Although this was clear enough to the
naked eye, he employed a telescope; and this as well as the evidence of two servants
who gave him an account of what they saw, showed that the Manasarovar sends
out no rivers to the south, north or west.

When returning he descended to the shore. There was a yak track, as is usual
nowadays. If the lake had been much higher than in 1907 this track would have
been rather difficult to use. »By a hard wind the surf was thrown so high on the
shore as to efface all traces of the path, and leave scarcely room enough to pass
between the face of the rock and the water.» There are some places of that kind
even now, both near Gossul and Chiu. During one of his many halts, Moorcroft
was overtaken by the reconnoitring man, who reported that he had gone almost to
the foot of the Himalaya mountains, and had not seen the slightest trace of any
river issuing from the lake.

It is hardly possible to give a better general description of the north-western
shore line of the lake than Moorcroft has done, and, in spite of his illness, he
here accomplished a very good piece of work. There are some points which must
be discussed in order to understand him better.

He says positively that, leaving the gompa, he went to the south. Thus he
must have crossed the channel south of the gompa, and not at the very shore of
the lake. But as soon as he reached the foot of the rocks, just south of the
gompa, he followed it, and thus necessarily came down to the edge of the lake.
He kept on marching what must have been 4 miles till he came to the high, level
and firm bank, which was afterwards described by Strachey. There is no other