国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

the Kailas can be sketched to the very beginning of the Brahmaputra valley it is
at least 70 miles. This is indeed a long way for one day's march. And previously,
from Taklakar to beyond the watershed they had needed three days for a distance
of 45 miles, ¹ of which one is said to have been a long and trying march of 15
hours. But in the meantime, they were hunting wild yaks in the side valleys, which
seems to have occupied all their attention for two or three days. There are no
dates, no distances, no directions, no altitudes, no co-ordinates, no camps, so the
reader is completely lost, as when endeavouring to decipher Andrade, Benedict Goes
or Grueber and Dorville.

But still they were hunting yaks in the valleys of the range running eastward of
Gurla Mandhata. And there is a very fine peak called Limi belonging to this
range, where some great glaciers exist at the heads of the valleys which debouch into
the river flowing towards the east. On the map, Limi is situated south of the Gurla
range, and supposing our yak-hunters were opposite to Limi on the northern side
of the watershed, and supposing Limi is, as on Webber's map, S.S.E. of the eastern
corner of the Manasarovar, the travellers must even here have been some 10 or 12
miles west of the source of the Satlej.

Regarding the northern valley of the range running eastward of Gurla-mandata
he says: ² All these valleys were of a totally distinct character from the precipitous
gorges and cañons on the Himalayan side. The climate was almost rainless, and
there were no deep valleys cut out by torrents; only rounded ridges with flats lying
between, and the streams were few and small, depending almost entirely on the
melting of the snow. The country further to the east and north opened out into
wide plains, sloping gradually to the river Tsampu, which flows eastward. Here
were the sources of the great Brahmaputra, originating from the glaciers of Gurla ...
We could see at times the camping-ground of Duksam, where were some tents of
the traders, who had yaks, ponies, and many pack-sheep.

If no other European had ever been in this part of the country one would
have to accept this short and vague description as gospel. But now we possess very
good maps and are able to control all the geographical statements given. The
passage quoted above is incredible. There were no deep valleys cut out by torrents.
In reality the southern tributaries to the uppermost Tsangpo are a succession of deep
valleys with rivers. There were only rounded ridges with flats between the valleys.
In reality there are very marked rocky ridges, which would be rather difficult to
cross. The streams were few and small. In reality they are many, and several of
them considerable, one even impossible, or at any rate, very difficult to cross during
the summer. The streams were almost entirely dependent upon the melting of the
snow. In reality they receive by far the greatest amount of their water from glaciers.
The country to the north is said to open out into wide plains. In reality the un-