National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

direction, and separating the various Pamir valleys, which were concealed from our view by the
low hills in front.

Descending from the Neza Tash Pass a march of a few miles in a westerly direction,
through heavy snow, brought us to our camp at Kogachak, which is about three miles above
the junction of the stream from the pass, with the Ak-su River. On the following day (3rd
from Táshkurghán) crossing the spur between the two streams we descended into the
valley of the Ak-sú, a little north of Ak-tash,* at an elevation of 12,600 feet above the sea.
We continued south for six miles up the valley, which was here about two miles broad,
and deep in snow. In front of us was a fine range of snow covered peaks, running in a
direction a little south of west, forming the southern boundary of the little Pámir, which is
really the upper portion of the Akşu valley. The latter as we advanced, gradually turns round
south-west by south which direction it retains up to and beyond the lake of little Pamir.

The Little Pámir is generally considered to commence near where we entered the Ak-su
stream, and consists of a long, nearly level, grassy valley, varying from two to four miles in
breadth and enclosed on either side by ranges of snow covered hills sloping down rather gently
towards it. Its length from east to west is about 68 miles. The Great Pámir, and all
other Pámirs are as far as I could learn, of precisely similar character. The ground intervening
between the Great and Little Pámirs is filled up with lofty mountains of tolerably uniform
height and without any very conspicuous peaks, the hills to the west near the junction of
the two main branches of the Panjah River being perhaps the highest. Our first halt in the
Little Pámir was at Onkul, after a march of 25 miles for a great part of the way over
snow, and with such a very bitter wind blowing in our faces, that it was almost impossible to
hold an instrument in one's hand. After entering the long straight reach above the turning,
near Ak-tash, several large open valleys are passed on the north, where the hills are
comparatively low and undulating, those on the south side being generally much
higher.

Our second day's march (4th from Táshkurghán) through this Pámir took us along an
almost level road for 24 miles. As on the previous day, snow covered mountains lay on both
sides as we advanced, and there was a great deal of snow in the valley itself which varied in
breadth from 2 to 3½ miles. There was often a good deal of saline matter in the soil, and
where this was the case the snow generally melted long before it did so elsewhere. Our camp
was on the north edge of the Little Pámir Lake, which has been given by recent travellers
the very different names of Barkut Yassin, Chalap, and Gez Kul or Goose Lake (Turki,
Oi-kul). I made repeated enquiries as to its proper name, and found that the Wakhis generally
call it the Kul-i-Pamir Khurd, or lake of Little Pamir, while the Sarikólis and Yárkandis
give it the name of Oi-kul.

As some doubts had been expressed, as to the supposed double exit from this lake, I
was naturally very anxious to determine the point, and in ascending the valley on this day's
march I took at some twenty different points, observations with aneroid barometers to
determine, if possible, the exact water-shed, which from previous accounts I had fully expected
to find at the east end of the lake. The ground, however, was so level for several miles
there being a rise of only 230 feet in the 24 miles between Onkul and the lake, that the
aneroid was not sufficiently delicate for the purpose, and although I walked for a considerable
distance on the frozen stream to enable me to satisfy myself on the subject, I arrived in
camp on the banks of the lake re-infectâ. The following morning I walked over the lake
to its east end, which from a little distance off appeared entirely closed, but on walking round
the head to make certain, I was soon undeceived by coming across a very narrow outlet,
about nine paces across, and only a few inches deep, all ice of course. I then walked
several miles down the stream (east) until I became fully convinced that its bed did slope to the
east and drain into the Ak-su. This result being contrary to what I had anticipated, I then
rode to the west end of the lake to see whether (as has always been supposed) a stream issued
from that end also. I left my horse and started on foot to go round its head; the ice at this