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

But he does not mention Tuksum or any other place in its neighbourhood, and on
his sketch map he has not crossed the Tsangpo at all on his way to the Manasarovar.
Which is then this extraordinary river?

After leaving the sand-beach of the Brahmaputra he came to another undulating
plain, where he followed the upper course of the river to the N.W. and saw the
»titanic heights of the Himalayas, rising one above another». He found them in-
comparably more sublime than what one sees from Darjeeling or Nepal, which of
course is exaggerated. The Brahmaputra »looked like a shining streamer hung out
from the bosom of a great mountain, and waving down and across an immense
plain» and here he composed a verse: »The distant clouds about the snowy range
pour forth the mighty Brahmaputra stream.»

Wherever he is now, he ought to be on the northern side of the Tsangpo,
for, coming from the south, he has crossed the river once. However, he continued
and found a country full of pools from 100 yards to a mile in circumference. In
the afternoon next day he came to »the base of a huge mountain of snow», which
he could not think of crossing. Then he covered 27 miles without a drop of water
either, and was tortured by thirst. Where was he? At the upper part of the
Tsangpo, — and for miles and days not a drop of water, — in July!

We turn over a few pages more in the book and find the thread.¹ He came
to the foot of a mountain, which he climbed and saw a »mountain stream» flowing
across the road. »The river broadened into a lake, and almost described a right
angle when flowing out of this and into another basin. Afterwards I ascertained the
name of this river to be Chema-yungdung-gi-chu, and that its waters flowed into the
Brahmaputra.» He had great trouble in crossing the Chema-yundung and »found ice
quite thick still along its banks» — in July! He walked over and had water up to
his shoulders. He estimated the breadth at 180 yards »more or less».

The Chema-yundung is the last of the Tsangpo's feeders he touches, and he
is right in regarding it as a tributary to the Brahmaputra. He comes from the south.
He has crossed the Kyang-chu, the main river and the Chema-yundung. On his
sketch-map he has only two crossings, the first of which, Kyang-chu, corresponds in
reality to Kubi-tsangpo, and the second to Chema-yundung. But where is the
Brahmaputra-crossing? The map is unreliable. What he calls the crossing of the
Brahmaputra has simply been the crossing of Kubi-tsangpo. And thus he is right
in calling the Kubi-tsangpo Brahmaputra, for in reality it is the upper course of this
river and all other watercourses are tributaries.

He was alone with his two sheep and only »afterwards» he »ascertained the
name of this river» as Chema-yundung. He did not need to ascertain anything re-
garding the main river which he knew was the Brahmaputra. But where was he
told and who told him the name? If he had got it from Chinese texts it would