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0093 On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1
中央アジア踏査記 : vol.1
On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1 / 93 ページ(カラー画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000214
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general and his force of ten thousand, after starting from
Kashgar and crossing the Pamirs, had led over the Baroghil
and Darkot passes. The former has to be crossed on the way
from the uppermost Oxus valley to the headwaters of the
Mastuj river, while the difficult glacier pass of the Darkot
forms the only practicable approach from them to the Yasin
valley.

I was naturally very anxious to trace on the actual ground
the route of this remarkable exploit; for it is the only
recorded instance of an organized force of comparatively
large size having ever surmounted the formidable natural
barrier which the Pamirs and Hindukush present to mili-
tary operations. How such a force could be maintained
in that elevated mountain region bare of all resources is
by itself a problem that might baffle any modern general
staff.

The ascent of the Darkot pass, about 15,400 feet above sea-
level, undertaken with that object on May 17, proved a very
trying affair; for the miles of magnificent glacier over which
the ascent led from the north (Fig. 14) were still covered by
deep masses of snow. Only after nine hours of toil in deep
snow, concealing ice full of crevasses, did we reach the top
of the pass. Even my hardy Mastuji and Wakhi guides had
held it to be inaccessible at this early season. The observa-
tions gathered there and subsequently on our marches across
the Baroghil saddle to the Oxus, fully bore out the exactness
of every topographical detail furnished by the official
account of that remarkable Chinese expedition.

As I stood on the glittering expanse of snow which marks
the top of the pass and looked down the precipitous slopes
which lead some 6000 feet below to the head of the Yasin