National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0333 |
The heart of a continent : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
are also a few Sarikolis. All of these keep large flocks and
herds, but cultivation and houses are not seen beyond Tash-
kurgan. The Pamir itself is a plain four or five miles broad,
rising very gently on both sides to the mountain ranges by
which it is enclosed. It gives one the impression of formerly
having been a deep valley between two mountain ranges, which
has now been filled up by the débris brought down by former
glaciers.
On account of the insufficient rainfall, this valley has not
been washed out and cleared of the débris, and consequently is
now a plain at a high elevation. The Pamir rises from ten
thousand feet at Tashkurgan, to fourteen thousand three hundred
feet at the Khunjerab Pass. It is mostly covered with coarse
scrub and gravel, but there are also some fine stretches of good
grass. Fuel is very scarce, and the inhabitants generally use
dung for their fires.
The total number of inhabitants, including women and
children, probably does not exceed three hundred. They are
a somewhat rough lot, and mostly bad characters, who have
fled, for some reason, from Shahidula, the Alai, or the Tagarma
Pamir. The headman, Kuch Mahommed, really belonged to
the Kirghiz of Andijan, but had been placed here by the Chinese,
and was in charge of the frontier in this direction ; he, however,
was also in the pay of the chief of Hunza, and seemed to have
a good deal more respect for him than for the Chinese.
On October 30 I rejoined my escort on the Karachukur
stream, and the following day set out for the Khunjerab Pass,
which had just been explored by Lieutenant Bower. On the
way I passed an encampment belonging to a Sarikoli, who very
kindly asked me to have some refreshment ; his son had passed
through India on his way to Mecca, and could speak a little
Hindustani. He was delighted to find an Englishman to speak
to, and he talked over all his experiences of India.
Heavy clouds had been collecting for the last few days,
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
12
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
22
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
32
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
43
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
53
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
63
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
74
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
85
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
96
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
106
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
116
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
126
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
137
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
147
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
157
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
169
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
179
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
189
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
199
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
210
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
222
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
233
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
243
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
255
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
266
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
277
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
287
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
297
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
307
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
317
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
327
.
.
.
331
332
333
334
335
.
337
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
347
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
357
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
367
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
378
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
388
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
398
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
408
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
419
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
430
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
440
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
450
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
461
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
471
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
482
.
.
485
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
