Southern Tibet : vol.4 / Page 504 (Color Image)

0504	Southern Tibet : vol.4

4,805 m., being a rate of 1:55. The minimum temperature was —14.1°. The S. W.
wind was fresh at 1 o'clock p. m. and the sky cloudy, though the clouds were thin
and white. The evenings and nights were usually clear.

The valley by which we now continue S. S. W., has a little brook and large
ice-sheets. It is hydrographically to be regarded as a tributary from the left, to the
brook we had followed down from *Ladung-la*. The latter brook increases in volume,
by and by, as it receives many contributions from springs. Finally it turns W. S. W.,
and perhaps N. W. to a little lake situated west of the hills. In its lower part, where
the bed is broad, shallow and exposed, it does not contain fish. In its upper reaches,
it is narrow, sometimes 1 or 2 m. only, and deep, sometimes ¾ m., and the banks
grass-covered and overhanging; there the fish are more protected.

The bottom of the valley is swampy and there is tussock-grass. Three sheep-
folds were passed. At a narrow place the living rock was reddish grey porphyrite.
Beyond this narrow passage, the valley again opens out to a plain between the
mountains. The bed with the ice, seems to come from a comparatively high mountain
to the S. E. where ice is seen in a valley. West of our route, two small, dry clay
depressions are left. The surrounding hills are reddish yellow and of moderate size.
In the neighbourhood of a lonely tent where snow was still left, we pitched our
*Camp CCCLXIX*.

The information given us here agreed well with what we had heard before,
and seemed to be reliable. The pass to the S. S. W., was called *Satsot-la*, and the
lake beyond it, *Chunit-tso*. Five days' journey west, was the salt lake, *Tabie-tsaka*,
the distance probably calculated from the rate of the march of sheep caravans, as
it is, indeed, only 45 km. *Bongba-changma* was said to be north of *Sangchen-la*,
*Bongba-hloma* on the *Buptsang-tsangpo*, and *Bongba-numa* at *Tabie-tsaka*. As to
*Bongba-sherma*, it was placed in the region of Tsongpun Tashi, who had himself
given us the name *Kung-sherya* of his district. Pan. 449A and B, Tab. 84, is of
interest. S. 25° W. is the valley leading up to the pass, *Satsot-la*. To the west,
comparatively high ridges hide the view in the direction of *Tabie-tsaka*. N. 30° E.,
*Sha-kangsham* is again visible like a lighthouse above the stone waves of the high-
land sea. To the N. 60—68° E., the configuration of the ranges indicate a depression
in which a lake may be situated, a matter that remains unsettled, as this part of
Tibet has never been visited by a European. This depression is bounded on the
N. E. by a distant range of a light blue colour and with two or three snow-peaks,
which may belong to the same orographical system as *Sha-kangsham*.

On *April 1st*, our direction is S. S. W. for 9.8 km. We had 2 km. to *Satsot-la*,
4,856 m. high, the rise thus being 51 m. or at a rate of 1:39. From the pass to
*Camp CCCLXX* at 4,747 m., we had 7.8 km. and a fall of 109 m., being a rate
of 1:72. The minimum temperature was only —7.8°, the day somewhat windy and

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