Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 399 (Color Image)

0399	Southern Tibet : vol.4

The soil is partly gravel, partly yellow earth and dust, which, judging from
systems of crevices, is soft and floating in the summer. The footprints of antelopes
are deep, showing that the light animals had trodden the ground before it was frozen.
Since the day before, we follow a well-marked path which seems to be used by
antelopes. Tracks of wolves were also seen. Now there were no animals at all. In
the western part of the day's march, there was ice in the chief erosion bed of the
valley which had well-developed terraces. The latter became lower towards the east
and finally disappeared. About halfway, a tributary enters from the south, of nearly
the same size as our valley. The plants became rarer and finally ceased altogether.
At *Camp CCLXXXIX*, the valley was perfectly barren. To the east the view is
open far away and the farthest mountains in that direction do not seem to be snow-
covered. According to the general maps of Tibet at my disposal and my own
survey of 1906, we should have about 68 miles to *Camp VIII* of the previous crossing,
at which I aimed and where grass was to be found, which was necessary, as the
animals would die of starvation if the country remained barren. In fact, this distance
proved to be 74 miles. The living rock at the camp was dark greyish brown lime-
stone. Dense pink limestone had also been found at *Camp CCLXXXV*.

On *December 27th*, we continued E. N. E., for 4.8 km. falling only 4 m., as
*Camp CCXC* had a height of 5,379 m. The rate was here 1:1200 or nearly
level. The clouds were impenetrable and the minimum temperature of the night,
therefore, only —19.1°. The upper parts of the surrounding mountains were hidden
by mist. In spite of this weather, no snow fell. The snow-patches on the ground
became more and more rare and thin, and their surface was, as a rule, dirty or
yellow from wind-driven dust. The valley again becomes broader. From the south,
a large tributary valley joins it. Along the base of the northern mountains, there
is a bed with ice. The latter sometimes is convex or cupola-shaped, probably from
the pressure of spring-water from below. Grass on the slopes of the northern hills
caused us to camp early. In the erosion terrace at their base, the rock was dark
grey sandstone. The wind had begun from the east, and then turned around to
south and finally S. W. and remained so the whole day. Here the first yak dung
was found.

On *December 28th*, we made 13.4 km. E. S. E., descending 80 m. to *Camp CCXCI*,
where the height was 5,299 m.; the rate is thus as 1:168. The minimum tem-
perature was only —17.4° and the clouds very heavy, but it snowed only a few
minutes and very lightly. A very strong west wind blew from noon until evening.
In this part of the valley, snow was seen only in ravines and beds and on slopes
falling to the north.

Just E. S. E. of the camp, we cross a ridge of very low hills, 5,346 m. high,
south of which there was a sheet of ice, from the eastern end of which an unusually

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