Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 183 (Color Image)

0183	Southern Tibet : vol.4

coming from a comparatively open valley among the hills, was rather large and
perhaps took its rise from the N. E. continuation of the mountain system we had
crossed. Nearly all the snow had disappeared and only in protected ravines, small
patches, driven thither by the wind, still kept their ground. The storm, which came
from the S. W., made mapping and taking bearings extremely difficult. The
great transporting power of the wind could again be studied. Yellow and grey
clouds of wind-driven dust were constantly sweeping over the ice of the lake, which
itself had a yellowish colour. From the steppe east of the lake also, heaps of dust
and sand were removed by this penetrating wind, and sometimes the whole land-
scape vanished in dust-clouds. The ground seemed to be quite level, though we had
reason to expect a very flat, hardly noticeable threshold between the basin of the
lake and the area of the next basin. To the S. E. our scouts had found the country
open and flat for a long way.

At Camp XLIX everything was to be had except water. Snow had, therefore,
to be melted, both for the men and the animals. A comparatively large watercourse
here crossed the plain in the direction of the lake. Near the camp were found two
fireplaces with three stones that had been used as a tripod to support cooking-pots.
The soot that once had blackened them had now completely disappeared and there
was no sign of ashes left. They, therefore, seemed to be old. At another place an
iron ladle of hemispherical form, was found. My Ladaki hunters assured me that it
was of the kind which is used in casting lead bullets. It had been exposed to the
weather a long time for it had two or three rust holes. Already here at 34° 33′
North lat., we thus came across signs of men, probably hunters, unless these remains
were connected in some way or other with the ruins N. W. of the lake.

On October 29th the march goes S. E. for 11.2 km. to Camp L, where the
height is 5,125 m. or 80 m. below the previous camp, giving a fall of 1 : 140. We
crossed the great valley diagonally in the direction of a black promontory on the
western side, which had been in sight ever since Camp XLVIII. The floor of
the valley seemed to be perfectly flat and there was no possibility of telling where
the water-parting threshold separating the basins of the two lakes, was situated. There
were some watercourses in different directions, but not until we had proceeded some
kilometers from the camp, did they seem to turn eastward and to join the principal
watercourse that was destined for the next lake. The flat threshold, however, seems
to be situated rather near Camp XLIX. The black mountain bordering the valley
to the west, consists of ridges and peaks, perfectly black, but also of some more
rounded hills with grass. The living rock was chlorite-glaucophan-albite schist, as
determined by Professor Hennig. Several small erosion furrows come down from
these mountains, but also two or three fairly deep-cut ones. At the base of the
black promontory could be seen the traces of a path which probably used to be

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