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

4.84 cub. m. a second, on August 19th. But the following day only 1.76 cub. m.
left the lagoon in the little brook which pierces the gravel wall near the shore. This
depends of course partly on evaporation from the lagoon, partly on the fact that a
considerable volume reaches the lake in the form of springs under the present level
of the Manasarovar. The effluent is perfectly clear, as the material brought down
by the feeders is left in the lagoon. Therefore no piers or sandy necks and capes
are formed at the mouth of this effluent, which, on the other hand, is the case
where the Samo-tsangpo enters the lake.
Between Camps 220 and 221 the shore of the Manasarovar is very regular
and hard. At the edge there is a lagoon the whole way, only 2 or 3 m. broad and
separated from the lake by a very narrow neck of mud. At Camp 221 there is,
inside of this uninterrupted shore-lagoon, a belt of mud 164 m. broad. Then follows
the gravel wall, 2.5 m. high. At its foot, and 1.25 m. above the surface of the lake
is a mani, the flat stones of which seem to have been worn for some considerable
time. This mani must be under water during years when a considerable effluent
leaves the lake. Inside, or north of the gravel wall, there is a dry depression,
parallel with the shore; its bottom was nearly at the same level as the surface of
the lake.
The distance between the northern shore of the Manasarovar and Pundi-gompa
on the first mountain-spur is 8½ km. The rise to the foot of the mountains is ex-
tremely slow and can hardly be noticed without instruments. The grass is very
abundant and of unusually good quality, as the ground is sand, and the level of the
underground water is near. Sometimes it is even visible as open pools. The western
lagoon is close to the east of this track, which crosses the Lungnak brook, a water-
course that seems to be fed chiefly from springs. Animal life is represented by
hares, falks, ravens and kyangs. As soon as the rise to the foot of the mountains
becomes more considerable, small »vegetation cones» and steppe plants appear instead
of the grass. Finally the gravel scree is reached and a very steep road leads up to
Pundi-gompa at a height of 4872 m. (15,980 feet). The rock in situ consists of
sandstone, conglomerate, a sandstone breccia and quartz-conglomerate in 59° S. 50°
W., — although not quite clear.
The track from Pundi to Camp 222, or 11.3 km. due south-west, crosses
a region of nearly the same character as the line just described: gravel, steppe and
grass-plain. Round or oblong pools, about 20 m. across, are more numerous. The
Lungnak brook is again crossed. Langbo-nan-gompa is situated on the right, or
western bank of Gyuma-chu, which, on August 21st, 1907, carried a volume of
2.09 cub. m. at a breadth of 16.5 m. Where this river reaches the lake it has
formed a typical delta, though of very small dimensions. There are several lagoons
between the different branches, and outside of the delta is a rampart of mud. Very
likely this delta becomes visible only when the surface of the lake is falling as in
1907. When the Manasarovar sends an effluent to Rakas-tal, as in 1909 and 1910,