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0747 Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2
中国砂漠地帯の遺跡 : vol.2
Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2 / 747 ページ(カラー画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000213
引用形式選択: Chicago | APA | Harvard | IEEE

OCR読み取り結果

ON AN OLD MOUNTAIN TRACK

The salt lake skirted on our march of September 15th
was manifestly the same which is shown, though with very
different outlines, in the sketch map illustrating the route
Johnson followed in 1865 on his plucky journey from
Ladak to Karanghu-tagh and Khotan. This observation
confirmed me in my original intention to try and make my
way to the upper Kara-kash Valley by keeping a north-
westerly course until we struck Johnson's route. I did
not disguise to myself nor to trusty Lal Singh that as we
were now situated, with our animals more or less on their
last legs and the fodder supplies nearing exhaustion, this
plan involved considerable risks. I knew from previous
experience that Johnson's route sketch done under special
difficulties could not be trusted for details; and even if we
could discover his track, probably still two marches off, it
was doubtful whether the ground he had passed with yaks
would be practicable for our worn-out animals. However,
I felt that the die was cast.

There was little encouragement when, on September
16th, after a weary ascent of eight miles we gained the
saddle of a low barren range to the north-west, at an
elevation of about 16,800 feet. Before us lay a huge
basin absolutely sterile and showing a series of dry
salt-encrusted lagoons disposed somewhat in the shape of
a horseshoe. The total area of the dismal depression
over which our eyes ranged could scarcely be less than
four hundred square miles. Where should we find here
vegetation, such as it is on these Tibetan plains, or even
drinkable water? Death-like torpor lay over the whole
VOL. II 465 2 H