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

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secondary, though much higher than the first class water-parting passes, such as
Surnge-la and Samye-la.
The high mountains all round do not allow of any distant view from Sur-la.
At the N.W. side of the pass there is a frozen moraine pool, and here, too, some
apophyses of ice reach the bottom of the valley; some very small glaciers are seen
on both sides. From all of them brooks originate, gathering to a pretty large stream in
the middle of the valley. The whole bottom of the upper part of this valley is full
of old moraines, more or less hidden by moss. The valley gradually increases in
breadth, and turns N.N.W. At Camp 431 the height is 5 443 m and the region
is called Dunglung.
The valley of Dunglung-chu finally joins the Pedang-tsangpo in its very broad
valley which is more like a plain. The mountains between Pedang-tsangpo and
Dunglung send out a ramification, the last hills of which are crossed by our road.
Where we reach the Pedang-tsangpo its terrace is 7 m high. At Camp 432 the
height is 5 069 m. The river here had very little water, not even one cub. m.
To the north and N.N.E. the continuation of the Surla range is visible, and it
shows itself, from the west as well as from the east, to be a very sharp marked
range with pyramidal peaks, great snow-fields, and many small glaciers. From this
side we see that the range is meridional to the neighbourhood of Ka-la, but then
slowly turns N.N.W. where it finally becomes lower and dies away. To the N. 20° E.
and not far away is a comparatively high peak of this range, and south of it is a valley,
Tsole-yungdokas, with a brook joining the Donglung-chu. To the S. 61° W. is a
peak, and the region Pedang-pu, from which comes the greatest part of the Pedang-
chu. There is also a first class water-parting pass, Pedang-la, south of which the
drainage is said to go to Tuksum. Beyond Pedang-pu is Shangu-la, to the S.W.
Gabyi-la; W.S.W. is a double valley, Chima-nyung-chung, and in the same direc-
tion a more dominant snowy peak. West of the Pedang valley is a range which
I have called the Pedang range. It seems to be parallel to the Surla range, that
is to say, its northern part is meridional, while the southern turns south-eastwards
and continues, as the Tibetans put it, some distance east of Shamsang-tasam.
The very considerable and broad valley of Pedang-tsangpo slopes gradually to
the N.N.E. To begin with the soil is full of gravel, but, later on, becomes convenient
and is grown over with some grass. The right side terrace is gradually transformed
into a series of reddish hills; to the left no terrace is developed. Our road crosses
two more watercourses joining the Pedang-tsangpo which now carries 5 cub. m.
Only at one place, a little isolated hill, is living rock found, viz., granite. The
ground is sometimes very swampy and crossed with great ice sheets. To the right
the Surla range dominates the landscape. One of its peaks, to the N.E., is called
Godang-gangri, and south of it there is a glacier, with a brook, Tsole-tsangpo, join-
ing the Pedang-tsangpo at Camp 433; a series of other small glaciers appear in
the transverse valleys of the range. From the point where our road again crosses