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

more narrow towards Shigatse, and westwards one sees how it dwindles to a mere
gorge. Gyang-la. 4130m. (13,546 feet), is a little hill-pass on the road, Milung-
nangbe a village in the opening of a double valley to our right. At the village of
Hlavang-tse we are surrounded on all sides by low hills limiting the view. *Mani-
rigmos* are often seen. From the village the road goes steep down through a
gorge to a tributary from the N.W., also called Hlavang, and joining the Tsangpo
to our left. The rocks consist of grey granite.
Just below the point where we reach the very bank of the river, there is a
rope bridge, Chaok, spanned between two small rocks, proving that even the high-
water of the rainy season gets room within this narrow space; the bridge was
regarded as unreliable, and is not in use. Above this place the Tsangpo flows in
one compact branch, and is about 50m. broad; the water is clear and of green
colour; the current is slow, there are no rapids, except just below the bridge; there
is no ice at all, and no snow. The southern mountains are higher than the northern.
The ground is soft, yellow clay, and there is some vegetation of dry hard bushes
and steppe plants. For some distance there is a narrow plain along the northern
side of the river, partly covered with gravel, and pierced by dry ravines from the
northern tributary valleys. At the south bank the mountain slopes stand close to
the river; the edges of the gravelly fans from the small transverse valleys are often
cut off by the high-water of the Tsangpo, thus forming sharp terraces towards the
river. Here, as on the way to Shigatse the Tsangpo shows a decided tendency to
keep to the southern side of the valley. Turning east one sees how the river goes
out from its narrow passage to the wide plains of Ye, as coming from a street to
an open square.
Just below Pusum the Tsangpo is very narrow, some 30m., and here, in a
bend, the water forms murmuring rapids, which, however, are no hindrance to the
hide-boats. Pusum is situated on the gravelly fan from a northern tributary, Ngolung,
and at a height of 4,062m. (13,323 feet), being some 60 m. above the water level.
The northern hills are of soft material, cut through by deep ravines, often with nearly
perpendicular slopes, as if they had been formed by landslips after heavy rains. The
mountains at the southern bank have a steep fall to the river bed. In a southern tribu-
tary a road goes up to Golema-gompa, one day distant. A mountain to the S.W.,
ascended by Ryder's expedition, is called Nayala, another, further west, Ombo-tong.
The natives of Pusum expected that the river from now during one month
would rise a little on account of ice melting further west. As soon as this ice-
water has passed Pusum there is a slight fall in the river which is succeeded by the
definite rise of the summer. In opposition to the information given lower down the
inhabitants asserted that hide-boats were used from Pusum the whole way to Shigatse,
even during the high-water period.
From Pusum the road follows immediately along the river; the rocks are grey
granite. Already east of Pusum Pindsoling is seen on its rock, like an old castle