Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 61 (Color Image)

0061	Southern Tibet : vol.4

In these high regions there was no trace of a path. One has to consult the
compass, the morphological features and the existing maps. From the pass a little
valley goes down to the N. E., N. and again N. E. It is bounded by comparatively
low hills, and in its middle there is a little brook. The fall is extremely slow. There
is no kind of vegetation. The ground of the valley is very fatiguing, for it is a
quagmire of soft, wet mud mixed with some gravel, in which men and animals sink
a foot and a half at every step. The mountains consist of soft material and are
more like heaps of detritus. They are low and their forms rounded. Sometimes
very small brooks enter from the sides. At the point where the valley turns to the
E. N. E., a valley joins from the west. In the corner of the junction a cairn was
built, perhaps very old. It may be that the valley from the west comes from *Chang-
lung-barma*, a pass which, according to the natives, was situated at a very short
distance N. W. of *Chang-lung-yogma*. Our valley becomes somewhat bigger after
the junction. The journey goes partly on the slopes of the hills at the left side,
partly in the bottom of the valley. From the snow-patches on the sides, small brooks
trickle down, to the greatest extent sub-terranean. In every hole after the animals'
feet, grey water gathers at once. The main brook grows slowly; it flows perfectly
silently, not forming rapids at a single place. The valley is winding in all directions.
The living rock is as rare as before, and consists of grey sandstone with patches
of rust. *Camp II* was pitched at the entrance of a tributary valley from the left,
which also has a little brook. There was no grazing whatever to be found, and
could not be expected on a height of 5,552 m.

*September 2nd.* The distance to *Camp III* is 19.2 km. to the E., N.,
and E. The fall in this distance is 170 m., as *Camp III* is at a height of
5,382 m. The rate is, therefore, 1:113, which is indeed very gradual for the
slope of a gigantic mountain range. As a matter of fact it cannot be noticed with
the naked eye. The form of the mountains around *Camp II* will be seen on Pano-
rama 13, Tab. 3.

The march goes along the brook in the winding valley in front of which,
*i. e.* east of *Camp II*, there is a mountain group with steep sides and some living
rock at its upper part. The rest of the surrounding mountains are low and rounded.
The valley turns in a semi-circle around a mountain, from which several subterranean
brooks come down betraying their existence by the dark colour of the ground above
them, which also is soft and treacherous. The brook, at the right hand of our route,
flows close along the foot of the steep mountain mentioned above. At the point
where we again reach the brook there was a cairn 1 m. high and covered with a
flat stone. It was old. Other *nishans* in the valley had been erected by my own
men. The living rock, cropping out at the left side, was grey sandstone as before,
slightly quartzitic and with patches of rust.

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

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

Citation Information

OCR Text

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