Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 401 (Color Image)

0401	Southern Tibet : vol.4

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giving the rate of fall of 1 : 83, or more noticeable than hitherto. The minimum tempera-
ture was only —17.8°, and the temperature at 1 o'cl. p. m. —14.4°. It is curious that the
difference of the night-temperatures in a few days could be over 20°, and that the
difference between day and night could be only 3.4°. But we were in a period in
which the sky is hidden by impenetrable clouds, so much so that even the days
were dark. Still, only seldom, a few snowflakes fell, not sufficient to make the
ground white.

We cross the ice ribbon at the camp and return to the southern or right side
of the valley, where at some places the screes have been cut off, and small patches
of grass are seen. On the steep rocks at the left side, a herd of 22 Ovis ammon
were seen; the first wild animals we had met for a long time. Dung of wild yak
is now more common, proving that the animals visit these regions during the summer.
Pantholops antelopes and kyangs also come to these high mountains, as could be
seen from their dung.

The valley that has been narrow a while, again broadens out, and finally joins
an extensive, nearly meridional, valley, formed, as it seems, by two valleys, the larger
from S. S. W., the other being a right tributary from the S. E. The valley is filled
with ice from one side to the other. At the left side, where running water was to
be had, we pitched Camp CCXCIII. In the corner where both valleys meet, the
living rock was dark grey quartzitic sandstone.

The valley coming from S. S. W. or from the north-eastern slopes of the Kara-
korum Range, and then continuing north, breaking through the mighty ranges of
the Kwen-lun, is the Kara-kash-daria, belonging to the drainage area of the Tarim
and Lop-nor. To give us an opportunity to reconnoitre the way down the
river and up through the S. E. valley, we passed a day at this camp, from which
the small sketches, Pan. 375, 376 and 378, Tab. 66, are taken, giving aspects of
the two above-mentioned valleys from the S. S. W. and S. E., and of the joint valley
going north and N. N. E.

On December 31st, I sent reconnoitering parties up the valley from the S. E.
and down the joint valley to the N. E. At their return, both reported that easy
passages had been found eastwards. Therefore, on January 1st, 1908, we marched
up in the south-eastern direction which was supposed to be the shortest way. The
distance to Camp CCXCIV was 10 km. We followed the right side of the ice-
sheet. At some places the hills and screes fall steeply down to the ice, and force us
to march on the ice itself. After a few kilometers, there is an interval between the
base of the screes and the edge of the ice and we enter upon more even ground
in the mouth of the valley from the S. E. From the point where we leave the
principal branch of the Kara-kash River, we see its valley continuing S. S. W. in
the direction of the principal range of the northern Kara-korum, from where the

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