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| 0395 |
The heart of a continent : vol.1 |
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We did not now descend into this main valley, which is
that of the Panja River, the principal branch of the Oxus, but
kept along high up the mountain-side, about fifteen thousand
feet above the valley bottom. Darkness had come on, and I
was unable to see how far down the valley the glacier ex-
tended ; but at rather more than a mile above the point where
the route by the Wakhijrui Pass descends into this same valley,
we came down into the valley bottom, and found there no
glacier, but a considerable stream—the Panja. The pass which
we crossed was situated about eight miles south of the Wak-
hijrui. There are no signs of a path by it, and, as far as I
could learn, not even a Kirghiz had been by it before. But
it presents no particular difficulties, and we were able, as I
said, to take yaks the whole way, and were generally able to
ride them. The pass has, however, no importance, as the
Wakhijrui is easier and more direct.
Arriving in the dark at midnight, and with the whole
country deeply covered with snow, we could find no brushwood.
We had, accordingly, to content ourselves with a few tent-pegs
as fuel for fire by which to heat up a little water for tea ;
and then, having pitched our tents on the snow, we turned in.
Next day we marched down the Pamir-i-Wakhan, which, on
account of its right bank facing south and so getting the sun,
is much frequented by the Wakhi shepherds in the winter
months ; and on the day after passed by Bozai-Gumbaz. We
now had to discover another new pass, for here again all the
known passes were barred by my agreement with Colonel
Yonoff. The range of the Indus watershed, the main ridge
of the Hindu Kush, was likely to prove far harder to cross than
had the last mountain barrier, and I had, therefore, for some
time past taken pains to find out from the natives if any other
pass than the known ones existed. It is of little use to ask
the people straight out, "Is there a pass?" They would, of
course, reply, "No, there isn't," and the conversation would end.
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