Tibet H H Godwin Austen

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Notes on the Pangong Lake District of Ladakh, from a Journal Made during a Survey in 1863Author(s): H. H. Godwin-AustenReviewed work(s):Source: Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 37 (1867), pp. 343-363Published by: Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British

Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1798534 .

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34040 BARNS on t1te ubterranean>'ater-sulopARNS on t1te ubterranean>'ater-sulop

220 feet above sea-level,wllereas he ater, in the two vallevsbetween which the hill giving lise to this spring is situated, snot more than 80 feet. A^ain, at a section across he countryeast and west, 25 miles north of liurrachee, the sllbterraneanwater issues at 280 feet abos-esea-level,whilst the Hubb Riverin the adjoinint, alley standsat 110 feet.

Sectionat 3Iugg?6r ur.

220 feet above sea-level,wllereas he ater, in the two vallevsbetween which the hill giving lise to this spring is situated, snot more than 80 feet. A^ain, at a section across he countryeast and west, 25 miles north of liurrachee, the sllbterraneanwater issues at 280 feet abos-esea-level,whilst the Hubb Riverin the adjoinint, alley standsat 110 feet.

Sectionat 3Iugg?6r ur.

Section 25 miles q?orth f EEarrac7zee.ection 25 miles q?orth f EEarrac7zee.

A;{>r.z:Irre z T

Many other sectionswouldgive solnewhat imilarresults.With this evidenceof the presence of subterraneanwater we

are bound not to stop in our inquiries, and hence arises the

question,where s the source?In dealing with tllis question̂ re start with the absolutecer-tainty that whereverwater s found nland,whether n the shapeof springs or rivulets, t has but cxneoritin, namely, he supplyflom the clouds n the irm of rain alld snow.

We alaen the habit,becallse ome large poltion of tllese zonesjust beyond he Tropics containsvast deserts,and has no rivers

A;{>r.z:Irre z T

Many other sectionswouldgive solnewhat imilarresults.With this evidenceof the presence of subterraneanwater we

are bound not to stop in our inquiries, and hence arises the

question,where s the source?In dealing with tllis question̂ re start with the absolutecer-tainty that whereverwater s found nland,whether n the shapeof springs or rivulets, t has but cxneoritin, namely, he supplyflom the clouds n the irm of rain alld snow.

We alaen the habit,becallse ome large poltion of tllese zonesjust beyond he Tropics containsvast deserts,and has no rivers



anBeloochistanndltestern inclEill-districts. 341

draining towardsthe ocean,that there is literallyno rainfall;bllt it is a Tnistalze; ven Sind,whicll s spokenof often as beingdestitul;eof rain, gaugeda rainfall of 4() inches in some partsvithin tllree months last summer,and averages I believe fourinches per anilum. But if we glance at a map of Asia, weobservebetween he easternborclers f Persia and the westernboun(lary f the Sind and Punjaub valleys a tract of country330,000sqllaremiles in extent, with an enormous rea of molln-tain land flom 3000 to 12,000 feet above sea-levelSnd, as Pot-tingerremarks,"sllbject o heavy ills of snow; showery n themonths of Septemberand October, nd the whole of the cold

season (vir., from Novemberto Marc]l nclusive),more or lessso; so that fouror five daysseldom pass withouteither sleet orrain. Elren Iekran andLus," he goes on to state, " have theirwet season in February and tIarch, ancl also June, July, andpart of August.'

I have no doubt that these remarksrefer especiallyto themountaillousracts of AfEghallistanndBeloochistan, nd not tothe deselt portionsof Seistan o the west andsouth-west.

I have not obtained accessto any meteorological egistersof

this region,and thereforeenfleavouro arrive at an approsima-tion of the averagerainfall by otller lneans. For the purposesof this paper I think I call show suffieienta prsors ev(lence ofconsiderable ainfall n the mountainons artsof these countries,and that consequently there must, as is the case irl everycoulltry n the world undersimi]arcircumstallces, e a conside-rable subterraneous upplyavavilablen that tract lying to thesout.hsvardf the 30tll degreeof latitude.

As reeards the subterranean upply in the hills from lVurhracheenorth to Khelat, I aln of opinion havt,f no other acces-sorvwere avvailable,he prosimity of Kllelat to Surrachee, viz.,200 milesS ts positionwithregardto the slope of the countrtT,whichis northanfl south,andits being the southern erminusofan elevatedrange of mountains, rom 6()0() o 12,000 feet abovesea-level,culminating n the great lateral range of the HindooRush,runningeast and west(portions f whichare covered+^ithperpetual snow),I am of opinionthat this range alone, on tlleelevated parts o:fwhich snowlies for many parts of the year,must be an enorinous ourceof subterrallean ater.

Turnint to the map, ve observe a11 he rainfallof the regioncomprisedwithin a line from :EXhelathroughGhuznee on theeast, the 30th degree of latitude on the south, the 34th degreeof latitude on the north,and the longitude of 62?on the westl,culminating to one point,viz., the Lake Hamoon,or, as it isknownto geographers,he "Aria Palus,"a hydrographical asinequal in estent to that of tlle great River Euphrates, vis.*



342 BAPTXSont1Zeubterraneanter-supp

].08,000geographical;les, lilSe hoseof the Helmund nd tstributaries,re ost in a sea of malshes.

BIost ratellersafflreen assigninghe dimellsiorlsf this uLeduring he periodof the meltingof the snows o be 70 miles

wr, y 15 to 20 miles in blzealdth; l, n roundnumbers,aylO00 squaremiles whilstPottingel eadsus to understandhatits ordinary imensionslse30 by 12, or say 350 squaremiles.ThissI beiieve,will, until it sTlalllave been further nvesti-gated, enableus to roughlyestimateby analogy he axTerageaillill of tllis mratersl3ed.

In Sind,w-iz.,he interior, have ollncl onds o lose one incll

itl depthpelsdienl frolnAunust o Januarynnd lakes in therl'hurr esert o lc)sehalf bIn-i}neher diele llutiltlley declreasesv Tnuehn depthas to leceive heirequivalentn evaporationDoa, springs.

II1 CCI1CUttahU1Mid1imate) 5 feet per allnum s thoamount roved y registrvSeiIag earlyhalf an inchper diem;+t}ilstat Greenxch 5 feet is a.llosxedin Bombav 26of all inchis tlle alnount f dailyevaporatiolluring he dryulonths;andalt,hougllt ;s qenerallyupposedhat evapollations considell-

ably ess over $rt,eareas ilaTl mall ones,still tlleseret,istriesrekr to evaporatiorlure and slmple,and do not include heportiondue to percolation.This lake is described s beingslowheremorethan 3 tv 4 feet in depth,and coveredwithreeds CaptainConolly ays that W}rourmonths n the yeal,clllrint,he sulnluer olsticeavaporation ustbe excesslvefrolaflle absoiption y tlle scorchinga\T prevalelltn that season;illdeed+henns Alajorlawlinson nbrms us, the summer eatin a bun^,alows 12V?) lad he tenlpe1aturef lunningA7atertlAusllile 3l)?, e mllst asstlme or evaporation,egetbltioll,.ndperc latiorl, vlvinghe four umnzeraolltls,whenwe knownodew can possibly all,at least one inch per diem,and fortileothereight months et US sslmlelle loss from hosecausesnotto exceeda quatter f an inchper diem; it \07ill tllenbe foundthat,althougll his allowsfor a discharge rom all the riverscombined f 1,613,333 cubic eet pernlinuteduring lle fournwonthsllen nows mclting, nd AlSl66 cubic eetpermilluteduring he otheraight morlthsthe discharge f the Euphratesbeing estimated t 14,214?466ubicfeet, or neallyrine tiines

the estimateddischarge f tlle Helmundand the otherriversKowingnto LakeHamoon)t ouly represents *31nch,or alittle overan average f one inchof rainfillper annum.

Nowwe have perfect ight o assumehat hisquantity f 1 31

* I:qual to A() llch rivers as the Thames, at Staines, in the suanmer owt litiual tv 3-1 uch rivers as theXl'haIllsesll sunlmesr low.



anBeloochisfanrldAYesteanind Elill-districts. 343

inch per annule is at least ollly one-thirdof the avelage rainZf:all,whichwouldgive us a total averageraillfallof 4 inchesperanllumovertlle areaof this geographical asin; and as we knowthatin everycountry n the worlda portionof the rainfall(esti-lnatedvariously roinorle-thirdo one-twelfth)percolatesandisabsorl?ed y tlle soil and the permeablestrata,and that tllewhole of this basinis elevated nluch above tl-lesea-level,andtllat according o traditionthe Iielmulld formerlydischargeditself illtO tlle IIldianOceannhere is room fora strong infer-ence ill my opinion hat a vast bodyof W7ater is available, n tllewholeof tilat region betweenthe 3()th parallelof latitude and

tlle sea. It is recordedby navigators llat largespringsof fieshnrater urst up throut,hthe sea ill the neighbourhood f CapeOrmuz;tlle samething has beellobserved ff Cap(3 Ionge; andI doubt not if atteation were called thereto the saule plle-nomenonwould be observed n other parts of the coast. Theiormationof this part is undoubtedlyertiary,andthe stratifica-tion of the hills where lot horisontalgenerallt,rnclineseithertothe eastssTaldr southward. It will be recollectedthat u:ndersomewhatsiinilarconditions he French engineersa few years

since haxTeroughta perennialflow of water in manyparts ofthe A.lgeriarl esert.I ltegletthat I have felt it necessary,n order o attemptto

conveylny ideas alld infolmatioilon this ver- interestingsub-jeet, to havebeenled into such a lengthypaper,and shoulditllave no better eSect than to excite inquiryand attentiontothis subject, shall consider lle labour1 have bestowedarllplyrepaid.

NArIII. -NoZesst hePctnyong aZze istrzetf Ladakh,ros aJoqxrxatzadedqrznga S?rvey n 1863. BY CAPt.H. H.GODWIN-AUSTEN.,.IS.G.S.,opographicalSurvey.

Bead, December 10, 1866.

To the north of the Ill(lus,fiom its jllnetion with thc DrasPtiver, ies a hit,h rangeof leountainswhich separate he Indusdainage f:lonl hat of the Shayok or Niibla hiver. The axisalld great mass o:fthis range is granitic; on tlle west this

extendsto withill a very short dist.luce of the river,xvhileatPituk belowLeh, tlle granitichill on wllicllthat largeandvellZknown monastery tandsabuts on the Indus itseli;and thencetowards he east for a considerabledistanceit holds the sameposition. The greatmassof coarsesand-stones,ed clays,grits,andconglomerates,een on tlle right bankof the Indu,swestofPitiik, ale llow seen on the left nr .sol:tllhallk tlle3uL(eo the



344 GODWIN-AIJSTENn thePanyonyLake Distrief,Ladakh.

east in the directionof StockandHimis. Onthe abovegranitorangeare severalpasses leading into the ShayokVa,lley,all ofgreatelevation; anclonthe directroadfromLeh to the PangonLake are two,viz., the " Cha,ngLa,"and the "Kay La,"botllhigh, beingrespectively17,470and 18,250 feet abovethe levelof the sea.

'l'heascentto the first is gradual romthe village of Tagarinthe ChinlrayValley, whichtheredivides ntotwo la,rgea+Tines;

the westernbranchleadingto the WATari.a, while the easterrunsup to the two passesaboveInentioned. On the 15th July,when our partycrossed lle ChangLa, the snowthat had fallell

in the earlypart of the naonth till la,y; we all suSeredmoreorless fromthe eiCects f the rarifiedair. Onthe returnjourneyvta the Kay La, S4S0 eet higher,scarcelya man suSered rolllthis cause: we hadthell been living for some tirlle at a high,altitude,which lTeryprobablyhad not a little tv say to ourimmunity rom the fatigue and heaclacheengendeledat highelevatiolas. The mountainson the northernside areperfeetlyhare a little grassgrowingonly alongthe bottomof the valley9whichhad a steadyeasy slopethe wholeway to Durgo,and the

sfenery is not reinarkableaveforits huge scaleandbleakness.Before3 eaching he village of Durgo,one emergesout of thenarvow alley uponthe level sultface f oIle of tllose large accu-mulatiollsof a]lusial sand,sand shinglethat are seen a]ongthe1argevalleys of these mountaills. The powelflll forcethat ac-cumulated he mat,erialshat formthem is nowextinct,and thecircumstallcesattendint, heir formation,and, morewonderfill,their subsequentdenudation, re as yet but little unclelstood.At this spotthe vast scouringprocessw-aswell exemplified: llelevel of tlle plateauon xvhich stood couldbe tra,cedacross he

-alley in and out of its numerousravinesin a perfectlyhori-zontal lille of a diCerentcolour,wherevery 821All portionsofthe alluviumstill adhered othe slopesand precipices;arldI donot thinkI am exaggeratingwhell I, statethat its thicknessatt,he unctionof the stlqearuselowDurgowas olrel1500 to 2()()()feet. r]^he'hole valley is very open-low cliSs of alluvialsanclsand clays can be tracedthe wholedistanceon both sides

andit is self-evident hat at no very distant perioclhis pre-senteda long reaehof water; an after sojourllon the Pangong

fully confirmedhis.FromDurgoto Tank.cis a distanceof 8 miles,andthe roaclquite level. The streamis considerable,nd containsa slnallkind of fish, of wllich I saw numbersat the Durgo bridge.BIountainsrise to a great height on eit,herside; and at theSOUthe1I1lwdof the vallev, towerillg above Tall19Se,s {afine8n0\\7y peak,called lranls-seo. 1. The villate o1 this tlalue s



gODWIN-USTEN onthePangong aheDistaef,Ladakh. 345

l;lrge,and a verv fair areaundercultivation.Mtianyf thehollses rebuiltcloseulldera

largemassof congloluerate,hestones irmly ementedn it, andto this cause t mllstowe tspresent sistence tthe nlouth f tllenarroworge osvardshePangont,out of whichthe softbeelshavebeenwashedaway.'Thenzain treamcomesfromthe southward,nd drains heLungYunhmaValleyand the mountainsn the northof theIndusRi-er. It is joilledat Tankse vthe smallstreamhatdrainshevalleyupwhich lle road o the Pant,onguns; thisis at firstrathershut in and confilledbythe mountainshatrise n cliffson either land,butwhere t takes he mol direct

easterly irectiont opensout considerablv; igh cliffsof thealluvialshint,ly epositsgain ocGurS forn;ig a belt at footofnlountainsfthenortherll ide,about300 feet high alldsome400 yarcisdistantbomthe stream. Tllephysicalappearanceof the wholeelltth ofthisvalleyshowedunrnistakableignsofitshavingat oneperiod een hebed of a lake. I aminduceflto thinkfor a partof that; ime it was continuouswiththeportionelowrranksend hat llemass falluviumboveDurgowas contemporarystll that abovetITlClit. Abovethe two

lakes,TragiimeBur Tso, hereis no lollgerany water n thebed of the streamsave at interval,hele and therenwhere tl:)reaksutin a sluallrillto lose tself in thf3oosegravel fewyards osrerdovn. Overdistances f more han a mile it iscleepwhitesancl,he collectionf which s a goodclealdue tothe willd. Downto this sallcl he talusfrorn he motlntainsestends,elaclingveryyearto increaseheheiglltof leve1. Attlle low passot Surtokh,vhence ne obtainshe firstviewofthe PangologLake,this actioll s nowhere o well seen; t.llisridgeof Sultokhfollmshe atershed across he natllralexitforthewaters fthegreat ake,and t is entirelyormed ythelooseshing]ebroughtdowna sornewhatargelateralravinefrom he snosvy eaks o thesouth. Thisbedof talusactuallyclivides,art o theeastwalld,art o thewest, othattheXatesmayin someyearsblow0ne3way,irl othersanother. If thesupplyof water o the Pangont,Lakewereequalto whatitmllstformerlyavebeen,whenthe glacielss eredoublehe;rpresentsize, tlle continllal lowof materwouldsooncarryoffthesetalusacculnulationsiomthe mountainsboveSurtokh-

therebeingnowno foree n actionbr this purpose,he SI1OWSof winterandthewaters f the sideravinesendto raisetllemainvalley-levelvelyyear

ThePangongTso(lake) s alsout2- milesdistallt rom helowridgeof the SurtokhLa,or moreproperlypeaking,tsnatTlralarorbund,but the learel f the olcLake-bed xtenflsupto :zithin vervshortdistazIcef the pass. A rise )f 15(}



346 GODWIN-USTEN On the PanyonyLaleeDistl ict, l ada1th.

feet in the mratersf the present ale wouldfind theinagain anexit dowll he valley to Tankse. A trigollometrical tation ies

close to the water'seclffle; ts heighthas beendetermilled rigo-nometricallyto be 13,931 feet above the sea. From thisnzark-stone fine viexvof the first ong reach of thos elevatedalld interestingpiece of water is obtailled. Its colour s of allintensel)lue, the wateras clear as crystal,but far too saline tol)e drinliable;therewLls uite a salt-water eel in tlle air as thexvindblewoff it. Knobsand pealiswere seen for manva luilealong the spurs that descended roln tlle rangesboulldillg lle

olthernshores. Frola the heigllt at ,vllicholle stood, hese all

appearedcoulparativelyow, onlyon tlle highestlay a.few slnallpatches of snow, thence to their bases was o:le successionofsllades of yelloxvs,purples, reds, and lorovus, he illvalsial)lecolouringof Tibet,not a SGrApof green.

Tlle Pangong Hill Survey Statioll is a short easy pull ofsozue1000 feet abovethe lake, oltailwing most colllmalldillgvies, upand down t, across he spursof northbank an(lhigh upamongthe snowypeaksto the south,wllere sluall glaciersjustshow abovethe ulassesof tlle old moraines,which extenddown

to the level of the lalze. Little streams floxvdownthese steepinclines, ike silver threads, romthe ends of these glaciers, ofillbllly lose themselves ll tile silt alld sandsthat skirt the edgeof tlle lake, for ollly tlle nlost considelal)leof these streamsflld an exit itl its watel7s. Sucll is t}le one that flows throughthe little oasis o:fttUtl; it onves ts size to tlle streamsfrolathlee glacieis, ulliting solue distance; lsoveths3villa^,e. Tllesilt broucrht lowxny these has formed a nainiaturedelta, orarin of sllallowwaterrunningout into the la]e. Ill tlX3 oulseof a collversationwiththe cooliesand men of BIun, learet that,sozne hlee or four tnarches on,the lalse narlowedto a nlelestream wllich xvas ordable,and that it was llOt necessary ofollow the rlorthernshore. On the 22nd Julv my malch layover the salLdy,tonyplain, shiltingthe shworef tile Pangong,ClOSSillo t0sror threeraxT;nes,sheresectionsae well displayedof forrrlernd higherlearels f its A^7aterSn irl Sa1l4S illterstloatified

with an anU,ularubblelike that distlzibuted ver the pleselltsulice. At about8 miles fiornAluil, he stratgglintvilla;,e ofAIeluk s passed on the right hand,and the last on the lake-

lxarkpetis 3 miles further. The level ground betaeen theshoresarld he foot of thf3 aountaillxneleasesmucll irlbreadthas olle proceedseast, and the stream from(Shushalgives froma distanceno signs of its proxiluity;and I was rather urprised011 olaillg suddelllyupon a fine body of watel, flo+stingith aquiet curreIlt thlout,ha nallowbelt of ,reell grass,some1() feett)t,0\T{tllevSl-ll'fil,Ce 0t' t'te l)laill. Finclil1>7lciltyof +Xoodallfla



GODWIN AUSTEN on thePargo? LakeDist} ct, LadakAl.347

nicegreenshelteredpotunder llebank, pitched ampby thesideof it.

The extent of level groundhele is considerable,uite 10squarelniles,dotted olrer in the vicinity of the stleam with afew lowbushes,andoverthe rest gl'owS a scantycoarsegrass iiltufts. Towaralshe shore of the lake risetwo very conspicuousisolated owroclKynobs,a mile apart,and hetween hese is theconfluenceof the Chushalstreamand the PangongTso. Thenest morning I walked across and ascencled he most easterneluinence, lavingthe strailgesoullelingname of TugguSuggu.Thishad?ormerly eell a fortifiedpost; the levelspaceat the top

+vas nclosedby a lowstonewall, while a detachedoutworkhaclbeenbuilt on the low SpUl' that rall out on the east sicle: noneof nly coolies,whowereall fromthis districtof PanOon^,,ouldgive any accoulltof it, as to vvllenor ly svlloznt hadbeenbuilt.It must be colBparativelyan ancientwork; still, consideringhowsooneventsareforgottenby suchrnen, ts age may be only15V o 200 yealls. It wasa lowerin,morlling,alld,beire I hadfiI1ished 1ysurveyworkirom this position, t came on to rainharcl,wlwich sreat out on the top. 'i'he showerpassedoff up

the lake; andit haci a fiIle eSect on the view ill that directionn

with the lirlesof fallingraill overthe exy)anseof waterandthemList.yuountai1Asoundingitls sides. Cl'lletate of the plain,which,when dry, is covereclwith a hard incrustatlonof linweaIId salt that claclclesunderthe feet,haflnowby the wet beenturned into a sticky loaln,that adhered o the boots in hugelumpsal1cl eluL1ailledike a celxlentupone^rerythingt carne llCOllttlCt witl1. Orleand a hal:Euile beyondTuggu Nuggu lowspursabuttupon the lalie in clSs of 150 to 200 feet high, andthe wayleads alon<rlle nalour shole at theil foot,with verydeep +vaterwashinnrhe ballk. Passongolle large bay weroundeda low narrowpoint of leach only to findthe existeneeOfallotller )a}T callec Phutsook;tllis formsthe boulldary}e-tweelltl1e WaslzinilP>ajah'serritolyal1dthe Chineseclisttietof Rudokh.

PhursookbrJneda circular, heltered ittle laLein itself. Anarrowstrait only colneets it xvith lle xvateroutsidee It Xasevide1ltlyof great(leptll n placeswhele the l1illscamedown ncli?s Upool it; a narrow eachranalo1lChe footof these formed

oi- alus cementedbyr ilue. rllhebayformed pertectharbour,in whieh a lille-of-battlesllip mic,<ht have xdoated,ndsailed inandout of it. WYerehis lake ill a less elesratedegion, or on aline of trade,how usefulwould he wter-columunicationproveup anddowllthe extent of its two long portions. 'lnhe irst orloweL Llke s 40 uliles in len,th, the second33; giving a totalof 73 slliles,exclusive of tlle ul3g-)eron,, porl;iollbeyonll rllso



348 GODWINUSTENnthePanyongLakeDistrict,Lszdaklz.

Syak, whichis quite18 miles. The firstthillfflhat must strikeany oneof observation,s the evidenceof th;s lal.e llavingbeenfolmerlyfresh for its entire length. BEyliadsof dead fresh-water shells now strewthe shore. These thro^n up by thewaves n a long white ridgeSie so thick in sonle of the l)ays,they can be taken up in handfuls. They are principallyofLymnta and Plarborbis;but, thougllI searchedclilicentlv,Ineverfounda large bivalve onlyone verysmallPzstdzt6nwhatI founclnsideone of the specimensof Lyrftntcs:nordid I everfinfl a living specimen,whiehI laadhopedto cloin the upperlakes,wherethe water^as ve1syliglltlv braekish. AVhenhese

shells e:xisted he former alQemustllave had quite a diCerentaspectfromits presentolle; and in lt musthave gronvn,orthesustenanceof these molluscs,beds of w&ter-plants, hile itsbankswouldhave been fringeclprobablwrith grassandrushes.

Thereis a pointin the historyof the PangongLahe on +hicllmaybe basecl good deal of theoryas to its olcleraspect: it isthe former ize andestent ol:its waters. On everysideunmis-takabletraces that the lea7elwas muchaboarehe presentoneare seen in tlle lines of olclbeaehesancl in the beds of sancl

containillg he fossilremainsof fresh-waterhellsnnterstratifiedxnritheds of angulardsSbrzs,hichsas T mentionedbefore,areto be seen in tlae ittle dryravines hat cut through he plain.

Thesesections pro+Teleat changes,and also, I thilsk,thatthe lake existedpriortoaoertainly ltlriny he latter palt ofn llegreat glacial periodin the Himala-as. WNthetherhe scooping011tOt he clepressionn which its +vatersie is clueto glacialaction n the first instaneeSwhen tllis high region was, as ismost probalule,eeplyoverlaidby ice and sno^Ts a hazardonsqllestion,and one hit,hlyproblezllatical.:Froznhe alternationof the beds of debrisand finer del)osits,we can inCerhat therehaxJebeen milder anclmoisterseasonsthan at presentexistk)acko colderancldrier: during he first,bedsBTO111davebeendepositeclby tlle increaseclransportinfflowerthat wouldhavecarriedthe materialsfurtherout into the lake, while at thesan(3time the level of the waterswould naturally lave beenmuchhigller Its watersmust then generlly have held muchsilt andmud in suspensiorlo formthe shell-becls lreadymen-tioned. At the presentclayno deposit of any kincTs taking

plaee, save perhapsnear the debouchement f the Ghushalandthe estremewestern riblltaries.A closerinspection,with soluelevelliny,wouldS I tllink,some-

what clear np the Tnvsteryattachecl o the llllge masses ofalluvialdepositsseen in the valleysof all the greatzixTelsf thewesterllHimalayas,ioultlle ClaangCllurlgmondLehto SlzarcloSin the Valle+t f Sul,:,5rlanc1Valle of Dras,a11(1n boththe



GODWIN-AUSTEN on tAae a7zgonq czAzeistrict, Lad(lAh. 3fi9

Thell<nand (:llandrabaghaChenat)rivers. Give a greaterrainfallto the Pangongdistrict,and a lower snow-line,nowabove2Q000 feet, and the rayineswould be seen with finerllnning treamsn them,and,allowing ime would ut througlthe barrier t the Salrtokh an ndelTentuallyossTnhrough hewhole ength of the alluvialdeposits n this lake-basin; helarge valley and its tributarieshen drainedwouldresemblenlostcloselyon eitherside the sand, hingle, ndconglomeratecleposits ow seen at Tankseand on the alDove-nauledivers.These depositsat Ote wouldbe solnewhat igher,and wouldcover a greaterareafromthe junctionof the great tributary

there. As a proof hat the watersof the PangongLake inforuler imes have f:allenbelow ts present evel, I maystatethat on a longpointof land in the little Bay of Phursook,ndeep,veryciear mrater, looked downuporl terrace10 feetbelow he surface, rhicherinillatedn a cliS, where he strati-fication f the sandand claycouldbewell een; th+3 ottorn asot visiloleeyond tllis, and it was too far out to e.nableme,

withmy presentmeans, o sound hedepth The onlydeductioto nlalie fromsuch comparativelyecentcllanges s, that th+3

level of its watershas been alternatirlg ith moist and dryperiods f time, the slow processof mhichmaybe even nowgoirlgoll allnost imperceptiblyo nlan. The mTaterf thePangong,depending, s it does,rtlaillly n tlle wintersnoxv,I ask maynot the snowfall n tllis partof the Himalayas enuch less noxvhan ormerlynnd the country assing hrougha periodof diminisllingalls? Slow as SUc]1llangesmaybe,they are by no means mprobable r impossible.From the

ountain-spursavingapproachedo closeto the broad ed ofthe Syam go Tratger, he absence f watel7,nd t. having lsotakena beTld, ehadbeen ed to imagine ts course ereedzed;but this we xsere oth of us nluch urprisedo findwasnot tLecase forwe nowbelweldlaead f us an enolnousgla-el-coveredvalley stretchingway o the bot of ulountainst least 18 milesfurther o the eastszrard.l'llis penvalleyhad he mostpeculiaraspectof any I hadyet seen,butpartookn its drygravelly eda gooddeal of the natureof those valleysI hadseenbetweenPal and the :KiungGarlgLa; its elevation̂7as about16,40()feet, and ts breadthn widestpart about2 lailes,the ridge of

hills bouIldingt to nortl, ay to about4 to 5 lnilesoff,but wereonly 300() bet above it, aIld the spurs came with a verygradual all towardsile valley. On the southa very ow ridgeof about500 feet-in placesnot more han300- sepalatedhisvalley-plain roln anotllerbroadone of a like character,heravines f whieh anup lltO the hills ill widebeds, rorn ()0 to900 JTardsn breadthvSeseral broad ateral drainage-plai;ns



350 GODWIN-AUSTENnt1zePanyongLaAeDistrict,LadaAh

also folmed a junetioll with the one \\70 were in, from thenorthern irwe f hills that runparallelwith it.

In the foregoillgpa(tesreferencehas been madeto the greataccumulations f l)oultlers, ravels(moreor less angular),elaysalldsandsS earrTankse,nd in the ChangGhungmo;t is neGe

sary to add a few wordsregardint, he callse I as3ign to theirformation. This I thillk clearly glacial. Proofs are not+^rantinghat in ages pasttlle valleys of tlaeHilualayacontainedglaciers of enortnous ent,th and thickness, the only types ofwhich are to he seen in those now filling tlllevalleys of theWarakoramJar nortll in Baltistan. About half-waybet+X-een

the villates of the Ellngun andGond, yirlg on the LindRiver(a tributary of the Jhelum), Wasllmir, nd at the village ofGond itself, marks of glacial aetion ale unmistakable n tlledeepgrooves or stri out in tlle llard metamorphiclates,at aheight of 150 to 200 feet alsovethe present level of the river.This point is 20 nailes in a dilect line from the head of thevalley,where at presentsome very sina11 laciersexist. Hou7much further this glaoier esteneledtowards the plain of theKashmirValley it is irrlpossibleo say,but at tlle debouchement,

10 milesbelow,thick beds of debrzsre to be seen. Tlle SindRiver is still o1: eryconsiderableize, arldglaeialaccumulationsare very soon swe}?t a\57av, as naa.y e seen ill the nowexistinglarge glaeiersbelow their termin3w1aiffW.Takint 5500 feet asthe lowest lilait of lts extensioll,everyva.lley n the vicinityofa range equal in meall altitude to the ll;OUUtaillS north >fKashmlrnust have been onca the bed cf thesemoving iversof ice. The indicationof glacierestensionare alsoseen on tllellortllof the ZogiLa,betweenthe presewlltlacierof tatuchoi nclPundras,at lO miles fi om the pass. It is mftbelief that thelJrasplainwasonce buried ll ice,alld tllat this re2,ionpresentedmuch the same appearance llat the neighbourhoodof tlleAtustaklldoes now. 'Inhemaginationcan harclly onceivetheenormousmat,nitude hat glaciers like those in the Waralkoramnlusthave onceattairled, ncl llat theyextencled ntotheSlardoValley on the Indus; 70 to 80 miles is byno lnealls mprobable.Smallerones fromthe ridge to the south we knowdid; fornearRepebLun,finemass of moraineprotrudesnto the plainnearlya qualter of a mile, having very lart,e allgularblocks on its

surice. Moreover, his moraineHlUSt hawre beenformedafterthe salley aroundSkardohad assurned omewllatits presentconfigllration,or this basin ha3 at some ps3riod een filled upwith bedsof lacustrinedeposit,glavelsnancleonc)lolulerates,o a

lleight that osertops the presentisolatee;lock rising alsovethetown, the coarser Jecls ein(r lle lli^,hest ll the series; I)utt isquite llatural to supposethat on a milder climate succeedint,,



GODWIN-AUSTEN ozl hePanyongLakeDistrictlcldakll. 351

these largerallusialdepositswouldbe the first o be removedby theextinction f glaciersurtller owzrnhevalley,wlliletllecoldwasyet intense nougho preservehosearoundndaboveSkardo. Thoughthe vast accumlllationsf detrttus in theSlardobasinwere? conceive,ueto theglaciersrom he highrangesbothto the northand sollthof the IndusnearBasho,whichglaciersmusthaveextended losedowll o anddammed1lp heriver,t doesnot follow, ssomemightbe lecl o suppose,thatthewholemassof sllcha mightybarrierhouldbe formedof ice. It mTashedebrts fmoraineshatwouldhavecomposedthis,froln ts continued ceunlulationn so narroxvgorgeas

the Intllls herepresents. Theseexuvixpiled upwouldhaveraisedhcbedofthegorge5 ndthebedof thelateralvalleyaswell,alsoeleratinghe activeeause,viz., he glaciertself; andin courseof time the wholevalley-levelwouldhave beenbrought lp o the heightof the greatdeposits round kardo.Inllumerabletller nstancesarlbe seenof ice-actionhrougll-outthe Kashmirerritory.I will illstanceneartheFotuLa,on roadto Leh,a spotnowfar removedromsuchcauses naction. Even in the valleyof tlle Jhelum,belowBaraAlula

theefSectsf a glacialperiod anbeseen Tllatglaceiers,illint,lateralraviiles, ave exl;endedcross lle mainvallersat someperiod f theiresistences mostprobable; nd n nearly verycase wheregzaveldepositsare seen,somesidx3avinebelow,having ts sourceshigh up,can be pointedutS whoseglacierhasformeda temporarytoppageo themainriver ntoWhiCll

it ran; and stlch eSects arestill iil progressn the highestran^,es f the zmightv imalayas. Whellglaciersextendeddowno 5000feet xvhatmustllavebeell ]leappearancef theUppertSIayok ndusand Chant,CIwting1no,here12,000 to13,000 s the loavestevel of the courltry (Sontemplationfsuch condition enderslle formatiorlf lalQesndtheaccll-mulations f detritalmattera natural equence, eryeasfToima;ne. Furtller,whellsuellpowerfulorees f icea1ldwaterwere n action, heirresultswould laveextendedardowll hemain-draina;,eines? lldare to be SOtletlt forat thedebouclle-mentofsuchriversas tlle Indus,he Sutlej,Ganges,&c.;andI believe that the :nore recerltaccumulationsf imnaenseboulder-bedsomposedf rocksfrom heinner angesSuchas

maybe seenin the NoonNuddeeDeyrahDhoon,andotherplacesalong he baseof theHimalayas,nayoxveheire:xistenceto a glacialperiodn tllesemountaitls.

In thelower ake thereis not a vestigeof anysortorkinclof plant. 'T'he eautifullyulueclearwaterwashe,q bankofsandandpebbles,he latterperfectlyreefromalgae. Thislsnot the casebeyondOte,wherethe water s lnuch ess salt;



352 GODB'INY-AUSTENntAzevanyongLte Dist} ct, LadaA;z.

tllere llestonesundermater reextremelylippery,ndcoveredwithvegetable rowth. At this part,also,patcilesof a coarsewater-weedre also seellhereandtherealongthe shore,butnot growinguxurialltlynndevidentlymakinga struggle orexistence. The watersof the western nclare far moresaltthanthoseof that nearOte,noticeablevento thetaste,butitis notuntil hestreain llat conllectshe twoportionss fairlyenteredhatit is byanymeansdrinkable;hence orthewholeclistanceastward eusedto takewater, avewhenwehadthelucktofillda springof really resh. ISy ookingoutcarefullywediscoveredpringsn threeplaces lowing utfromunderhe

bank,and n onespotthesesprillgswerebubblingpforson:ledistanceout illtO the lake, rentleringhe mrateruite fresharound;andit wasquitea pleasureo seethepooryaks,whocalriedourbaggage,ake a 11 of it, when orthreedays heyhaddranknothingbut salt water. A curiouseatureof thePanong is the alluostentireabsence f streamswhosewatersfindanexitin it, considerilaglle greatareatlwatorne f themdrain;for,withthe exception f the iw glacialrillsandtheChushal trean Ollits sollth shore,and tlle streaulat the

extremewest end,frolnthe BIarseBlik La, thereare none.Thenorthernlsores particularlyry; not a singlerilljoins tfor its entiredistaneeuntil arrivingat ;'Pal,'> n the upperlake; andthe same:rnay e saiclof tlle southernhore, lomthe Chushal tiver o ()te,alldfol many uilesbeyond. Alanyof theravines avetlleirsources t a eonsi(lerableistancebutaearhe lakehavebroacl ly bedsfronz200 to 300 alldupto5()0ralzdsnbrea(lthf rubbleandsands. I naaynstancehevery arge atelal ravineat Ote,the lon(rest ranchof whiehrus back lltO tlle snowymountaillsf GhangChullgmoora

distarlce f 40 n;lesfclra.;niilgltogethern areaof lleally400squaremiles. The silt,which ll formerimeshas Deenarrieddownfrorn he abovealea?has formedhe plain of Ote,thebroadbarriero whatwouldotherwisebe a continuousonglleaeh fwater. Thiswasno douljtheoldconfigurationfthelake,fora lise of sorne12 feetwouldcoverhegreater artofthe Oteplainevenrlcow. n nearlyall the lligher avilleswateris plentifulnndglacielsof the secondorcler reseen,but thestrearusreall soppedupin the broadbedof themainvalley,

whichactslike a perfect ponge:the streambreaks utoeca-sionall+Tereandthereonlyto hide tselfa fewhundredardsdown;the last SS7ater seenbeingabove the fortof scLanakh-khur," utit nowheres seentoflowlltO flle lake,being ost inthesandsoftheplaill.

ThewesternIldoftllePangont, so ies,asnearas possilule,,zn atitude 4?and OIIgitUD1e78'30D, llence tsdirections due



GODWIN-AUSTEN onfAePanyonq akeDistrief,LadaA^.353

south-easto latitude 3?40'; it then takesa bendeasterly,ndfollo-wshat latitudeasfar as Noh, in longitude 9?50'. The

mountainso the north-westf the first long reachare of nogreatapparentlevation. In July therewasvery ittle St1OWtobfeseen, and only on the very highest portion, r the mainrange which,nevertheless,s from 1S,000to 19,5()0eet high;the highestpeaksbeing20,000; but the level of the lake being13,931 feet above the sea, detractsconsiclerablyromtheiraltitude. Theterminal nobs f the spurs rom laeabove angelie close on the edgeof the lake,rising o the heightof 600 to1500 feet,generally erminatin,precipitollsly; nd tllelake, I

should magine,s excessively eep n suchplaces. It wouldbea most interesting cientific nquiry o sound,with the aid ofsome portable iind of boat, the depth of tllis lake. To thesouth-west highrange uns parallel o the lake,someof thepeaks on whichattaillan altitudeof 21,500 eet; this ran(reterminatesn a peakabove, nd o the east-south-eastf Taulise,wllich s 20,003 eet.

The abovefine line of mountains,overed s they arewithperpetual now,and theirravines erminating bove n smallglaciers, orm fineboundaryo this valleyon the south. Thesouthernwatershedolloxvshe lake very c]osely sfar as Ote.It thele extends urther outh, nd between hat placeandPalseveralvery arge lateralravinesdescend nto it, all withtheusvl.llbroad, ry, grravellyeds; tlle largestof theseare theAlgrong, rl'engun,WiamSurpo loombas,or valleys. Onthe northern hore,beyond he very large valley of Chang-Burlnall,which inds ts exit at the Oteplain, hereis another,the Dal-Loomba,hat drains the considerableract of 150squaremiles; the silt carried own rom his has narrowedhe

lake verymuch, orming low point uttingout into t, andhascontractedhe lvaterso a quarter f a. mile in breadth. Alto-getherthe mean breadth f the secondake, "TsoNyak,"or" tSiddleLake," s muchess than he firstor true "Pangong."Wherevera tributary avine oins the shore there is grass,scanty, s a rule,andofa very coalsekind. At Ote it is muchricher, speciallyn the vicinityof the stream llat unites thetro lakes. On bothbanksof the secondake wood s found nplenty,growingusuriantlyn places. At Algrongand Num-

kum t tormed scrubbyungle; bllt on the northernhore, tSilung, it was met with no more,and the only buelwas astuntedplant,which hrow3nta gooddealof woody oot,andis foundall over the country;andI never ounda scarcity fit eve:l up to 18,000 eet ill the (ShangChungmo,ave svherethe ravineswereveryrocky. Descenclingrom he smallridtr,ebet+veen a1jUI1gnd PLll,lle extensiveplain lleartlle latter

VOL. SXXVII. 2 A



354 GOD0NTINUSTENn theParzgong ate DistrictnLaz^zk7z.

comesin view,bounded y low spurson everyside,savetheeast,where conspicuouseak rears ts head; a slnallstreamwinds ts way hroughhe eastern ide of the "Maidan,>'ndjoins the lake,beirlt,he ollly one on the northernhore hatdoesso.

Threeanda half lnilesbeyondPal thesecondakeends,anda small stream s found lowingnto it through alf-a-milefsandyflat ground)beyondwhichis arlotllerake calledTsoRum,havinga lengthof about ourmiles; aftercrossinggainsome latground,LakeTsoNyak(the second)s reached,onllected, s beforedescribed, ith rllsoRum below. Near the

northernhoreof tllislast is situated he smallvillageofNoll,a shortdistanceup a tributaryrom he north. ThisplaceImllch+sishedo visit,but couldnot manageo accomplisht.On the northern hore of Tso Syak,at intervalsnridgeofsandand earthrunsparallelto the line of beach; at firstIattriloutedhis to the actionof ssarres,ut obserunghe largep1toportiollsfthesebaulSs in soane situations, andat last seeingthe ridge quite6 feet lligll and,moreover,hatthe bankhadleen fairlytulned up, as if with a giganticplougll,I was

puzzleclo accoulltorsuchan appearance;ndollquestioningtlze guicles, hen learntthat cluringwinter,when the lake isflozenoverhard,he+^Jateraturallyccumulatesnder heiceand flowingwestxYard,an findno exit. NVhenhe pressurebecoluesoo gleatit tearsupthe frozen arthorl he shore, nd,liberated,ows overtlle sulfaceof t}e ice. I give a sligl-ltsketchof a sectionllrough ne ofthesebalzisshowillghe oldsurfacegrassstill gro^Tingn the perpendicularace of theuplleaved round,wllich, f course,s on the inlandside. OnmeasuringhisI found t aninchor t+^over6 feet. I noticed,also that the banlsswerehigherandbetterdeveloped n the\vestern ulvesof the bays. During ummer,+Taporatio:ndodoultncarrlesoff a greatamountof the surpluswaterthatclrainsntoit; but in thewinter llis nlustcease,and,Mrithtsuppercasixlgf icen lle water,ofree itself, carsand rootsupthe banks n tlle curiousnlannerabos-e etailed. Dulingthewholetime I spe.nton the shoresof the Pangongnhe onlyanlmalI sawwas the kvang,or wild ass of Tllibet; a fewcoupleof theseweregrazingo:rl he grassymaidansof the

norther:nhore. Of thebirds, eesewereplentifuln the streamI)etweenlle filst .nd second akes,and I saw manyyounghroods. The 131ahulinioose teal, a red-headed iver mritiwhitebocly, nd a very black plumagedduck madeup tl;lewater-birds.

rTl-lereas greatsearcity f smallell ilds;a sand-pipernd^vas,-tailereoccasiorlallyeell on tlheshole. rthe arge isll-



GODWIN-AUSTEN onthePanyongLaAeDistrict,Ladakh. 355

eaglewasplentiful t Ote,attractedhereby thefishwhichareseenforthefirst ime n the slightlybrackish ater,lowing ut

of the upperlake; this lake is full of them, they muchresemblehetench n shapeandcolour, nlysomewhatongerin thebody,andare coveredwithslimelike those ish. I hadfortunately roughta roci,and had nearNumK:um,n deepwaterunder lle rocks,a verygoodafternoon'sport, atcllingsome ive-and-twenty;heyranabouta poundn weight-thelargestI caughtbeing about4 lbs. 'These ish formedawrelcolueddition o ourfoodas long as we remained n thelake. I suppliedmy old Bhllt Moonshie nd some of the

guardwith llooksand lines. They became iercefishernwen,andbroughtn goodbags. It is a fine sight to see the lakedulsing storn,whena goodstrongwind S lolowingownalongextentof its sulface, nddashinghe waves,which ise toa considerableeight,againsthe hardrocky hore. X hadthefortuneo see its surfacen thisstateorlemorning;andsittingdown,watchedhe^^Javesollingn, andPangongwaxs broughtup thoughts f beachesn olclEnglallcl. Thoughhecountrysso barren,he lalze has its beauties n the variedtints of

surroundingills and Inountains,ndtllerichdeepblue of its

waters,becomingquiteof an ernerald-greenoloula s theyshallolv ear lleshore. Duringthe summermonths he lakeis quitedeserted,ndwedid notfall in witha soul the wholedistarlce pto Pal,orwe mightnot havegot so far. At thattimeof year heflocksof shawl-wooloats,sheep,andyaks,aregrazed in the highervalleyson the young rich grass thatspringsup in someplacesafterthe snowhas left the grourld.l)uringwillterhey are brought own o the level c;maidansslearthe lake,andOte,I was tolcl,becomes ottedwithblack

" Champa encampments.Snow,heysay,neverlies long atOte,thouth helakefreezes ll overaTeryhick,and he degreeof coldmustbeveryconsiderable.TheChampasrChant,pas,whospendhewinteron the lake at Ote,come rombothNohand ludok. Thesaidplain is a disputedpieceof glound, helllen of the Pangong istrict laim t; though, udgingby thesite of an old fort standirlfrn a lowrockon thenorth-westereside of the plain, shouldsayit undoubtedlyelongs o theShassan uthorities,y whomt lvasbuiltye.ars go: proxiinity

of LehaIldgreater artofthe rThanadarhere,places t in theWashmirajah'serritory. Walls of stoneandearthare builtup asa protectionorthetentsagainst hewind,alld, o renderthem still snugger, obsersTedhat the interior loorof theirlllltshadbeendugdown o a deptllof 3 feet,wllichnust ualSethemwarm bodes.

I foulldthe summerwillds of this coulltrvcol(l enough.2 A 2



356 GODWIN-AUSTEN onthe PanyonyLakeDistl ict Ladakll.

Whattlle winters re ikeI canwell imaffline.The amount fcomfortn a tent, on the edge of a frozensheet of waterstretchin;,ormiles,mustbe a very minusquantity. Duringthe wlloleperiotlof my sojournllere in August,1863, thcweathel,witha few solitary ile davs, wasmiserablyold,-nothingbut cloud, leet,and rain. f mayhave seenit underclisadvantageousircumstarsces,nd I tlust at times it doesenjoy littlewarmth ndbrightness.Onthe 1st of Augustwcrea.chedaljung, nd n the afternoonf thatday came n sightof the first nativeswe had seen,viz.,threemendriving orneyaks in our direction. Tlley saFrus at the sametime, anci

turnedandbolted:we followed,ut failed o oxertakehein, tbeingabout wo luilesto the point heyhad rounded.Theyhad disappearedp some lateralravineollt of sight; otlrapproach as, herefbre,nown o the Rudokmen. It raine(lin torrentsduring lle ni,,ht. Campwaspitcled at Paljllng,where longbroadnulla-bedamedowll o the lalie,anda lowlongpromontoryan rom he hillson tllenorthout itltOt.

Ourroaci extday,on tonvardsal, lay over this,it beingavery ollgroundo bllow the shoreunder hecliSs. From tlle

lowpass he broaddullgleen plaillof Palwas seen,and on itswestern ide we discoveredhe blacktentsof a smallTartarcamp. As our approach rasnow certainlyknownto thesepeople,we bentoursteps here. Threemencameout to meetus, and lJrlledut verymild ndividuals,nebeinga Lhama rpriest. Theirdogs, of the large Tibetanbreed,were rnuchulorenoisyandfurions t the intrusion f strangers,nd werenot to be reconciled ntil long after the tents wereput up.TheseChanlpahasnformedme that one of their numberwasabout o ricle ntoNohat once, o give the news of our arrivalandhave t thence entoll to Rudok I instantly et my BllutMoonshieowno writea letter to the goernor of the placerequestinghat he wouldraiseno difficultyo mv payingavisitto the place andsee its Inonasteries. llhenest twodaysI remainedt Pal, forthehills wereburiedn densecloud,and.a gooddeal of rairl;3117 SQ thatI was unable o proceed ith

my surYey work ll an easterndirection; n the thild daytheZirnskangf Rudokroele n with sometwenty ollowers,ndpitchedhis telltson the otherbarlkof the littlestreamSlld

cameover at once to see me. He wasa nativeat Lhassasllort,stout, jovial fellow, and broughta letter om theGovernor f Rudok, nd a whitescarf, ogetllerwitha preserttof twodamunsbricks) f tea, andsome lleepandgoats or lnymen. The letter*X7ashell readby the Aloonshie,nd was tothe eSectthatit as notill hisporerto ^,iveme leaveto vislt

. Budok,as he hacistrictorderslom his sllperiorsn Lhassa o



GODWIN-AUSTEN on t/lePanyo7 laAe District,Ladak11.357

prevelltforeit,ners rossin^,he frontier,alld that it wouldeventuallybe known f he permitted t. He added hat hecouldnot use force to preventmy furtherprogress;but hetlustedI wouldnot lose him hisappointmenty sodoin, andthat I wouldaccept the presentsas a sign of fisiendstp.Havingreceivedordersnot to btillgonanycollisionwiththe(Sh;nesefficials,hadto give upthe ideaof seeingRudok;butI heldout for one laoremarch owards lle place,andgainedmy point,but not beforeshowing orneallger at their absurdwishes.

The Zimskangagain came over, after my dinner,about

9 o'clock t night to begT wouldnotproceedanyfurtller; )utI said hey mustabidebytheirfir.st greement. TheafterIloonof thatday I was enabled o ascendthe limestonemountain,east of camp,alld fix lBy true positionv he rangearoulldRudok, zld l-le astern nd of thelake,rere also againvisible,and I was enabled o get ilatersectionsith otherrays. T1le5thbrolie,ortunately learandbrigllt, o I started arlyalongtlle shoreof the lalve n directionf Noh,my friend heZinas-kangstuck o melike a leech, hewholedar,witha fewof his

tnen; anda curiouslyressedalableheywere,with heirenor-zmouslat mushroom-shapedats, and all mountedon littleshaggy, but sturdyponies. rl'}leyMere a11very jolly andatniable. I made no secret of my work,and showed>lldexplaiIledhe map of the lalte to him,whichhe thoroughly1lnderstood. laave oundhepeopleof Thibet ar in adlanceof thoseof Hindustan s regardsdrawings,ndwhat heyaremeant to represent. At a small hill called ToboNokpo-vhence hadpromisedo return he previousday-I ful{;lledlIlyagreement,vidently o theglzeat leasllre f theZimskang,wllo wasno^^rore pleasant han ever,andthallkeclmewithmanysalaarus.On the UthAugust lly tents ̂ Teretruck oleave Pa1,and the Rudoknzendid tlle same. I xvasnvitedover o their entspreviouso startinffl,o partakeof a partingcup of salted tea, churnedwitllbutter,which s al+^rayseptsimmeling n the fire; it is by nomeansa bad lel eragewhenmadewithgood reshbutter. I gave llim a fbwpresentsandweparted. At the eastern nd of the PangoIlg thehills some-whatdecreasen altitude,hellighest yingto thenorthofNoh.

Looking n a directiondue east from the higherpOilltS Iaseendedhe countryappearedlat but unclulating,ndI ob-served n the far distancewo orthreepiecesof water;tl-lesemay turnout to be connectedwith Pangongrl',soprobablybounded y steepsides, llich werenot discerniblet twentymiles, hey mayexteildbr soinedistance; ile bretldtll f thishit,llret,ionwas considerable,nd extendedup to a snowy



358 GODWIN-AUSTENnthe PanyongLakel)istrief, Ladath.

range hatrosesuddenly n the south. Themore exel surfacewasnot botlndedy allymountains,ndwas seen stretchin^,othe horzon.

Themolnirlg 7eettPa1wasraw,cold,ancl loudy, the roadlay north-westellyor somedistanceover thedead level plain,that sllo+vedistinctlyt had once leen co^Teredywater, ordead resh-waterhellsare seen for somewa.y;we tllen rosefromit o+rer long,very gradual lopeof somethreemiles,whichat last contlactet lltO a raYine boundeclrith ery owhills. The little calnpof ChampasontinuedheirmarchwithllS, and hadwe been oneday atercolnillgntoPalwe should

llave mssed them altogether,alld gone straight nto Nohwithoutmeetinga soul. Nearlya11 heirworldly oodswerecarried n sheep,olllya fewarticlescarriedn the ponies heyrode. The womendlo-e the former,ncl,n factn id :rnorenthe packing, Ilpacking,nd pitchingof the tents than theirlords and zuasters;ftel which heyweresent on to the hill-side to collectthe rootsof a los shrub, avinga scent likelavender. Oneof theChampa irlswasverynice-lookilag,nci+^ore peculiarlead-dtesswllich s not seen on theLadakh

sicle. Tlle usualnarrovfillet of cloth wornby the Ladakll+solnellvas reblethe usual+vidth,nd co+Teredithtorquoiseancl ilxrerrnamcuts; eartlle attachmentt tlle foreheadasa batof silver et withsmall orquoises,endantrom̂ hich,soas to lie on theforehead, erea numbelzf silvercoinsattachedby short trings f coralbeads; lle effeetwasTery good. I hadtheyoung adyblought ver o my tent, whereslle sat for herportrait,nd ^7as delit,htedt theclrawinCacle f her.

The ellcampingloundwas allecl ToboRuberu, nd wasa

levelpieceof green grass, lsTith several gOQCi streams of water

flowint,across, orn urious nough,he higherravinesof thecountryhave plenty of watern ut these are all absorbedfewmiles clown n the sancland gravelof the broaclwater-way. The valleywashere lligh,broa.d, ndnearly evel; theuoulltainswereof no great elevationabove t, not more han3000feet, he lower lopes allinggracluallyrolll hem nto thevalleT,whicllwas patchedwith forze of stlmtedgrowthandulentyof good glass. The morningof the 7tl] brokeclearsunny,and bright,with a freshbreeze;we startecl arly,and

gradually seendedhe valley to the passin our front, alledtheDingoLa,16,270bet. ()n the top the ground as nearlylevel expalldingntowicle, penground o the nolth; on theleft rosea hill, about1000feet,which I determinedo ascendto obtaina viewo+rerhe hills and country round. WAialkinga shortdistance p this,a smalltazn+ras een n the centreofthe levelgloulldllorth of the pass,xvhichhad onceevielently



360 GODAXINTUSTENOn tAle a?lgonyLakeDistrief,Lada1z1z.

nearer,but missedthem. A fine mass of llill roseto tlle south.Xppearingeasy and near, I sent tlle CAlUp on to the streambelo+s,andcomnzencedhe ascent; this was a goodclecalteeperandfurtherhanI hadanticipated, roviIlgo loe20,240feet high.

The ]abourwas renarded) or fromtlle summit I obtaineda

splendidview,and did ca alge amountof work; massive snonv-13edstill colJeredhe top, andthe windwas bitterlycold. Thf3moulltains o the southof the Pallgongwere5 ell seen,+vithhegreat snowyrange near the Indus beyonclRudok; and I stilllonged to go on in that direction. Up the mountains o tllesouthandavest,herev.as a fineview-of a country,bleaL,nakecl,

stony,andinhospitable. Ouly in a tributaryof the ?rreatChalhgBulma Loornba-Xrllencewasa wayto Ote wasanvthinggreen,cl little grass andfurzethere skirtedthe stream. A;VorkeingIinishedwe z7ere soon dowll aoain. It svasa bitter cold even-int,,but the camp+vasn as sheltereda spot as ^recould find,(Illd herewas sonle good grass heie for the yaks. The valleybelowcamptook the usual configuration,nd rantowardsnorth-west, uritha bed about one-fourthof a lnile broad; at aboutthree miles vYe eachedthe confluenceof a large valley from

the north, and 1lp this I determinedto proceed,and thenceascendto Wiepsan,:,rigonometricalstation. Several hiangswere llere seen,anclup tlle valley numerousTibetanantelope.After marcllingup the gra-elly -ide hill for fire miles sThoseuain tributaryullledto the east andendedin an extensiveele-vatedplain on tlle surfaceof wllich ay solllelalge snow-beds-sTewererathelat a lossto fillcl̂ ater. I toolttlle easternbranch,+^hile he yalts and servants proceededup the western (the:NertseLoomba),osralds patchof greengrass,wllere thoughtavaterwould be follnd,and this provedto be the case. Florntllis the staff Oll tlle top of Wiepsarlg as visible, and a verydelightful little pull up it loolzed. I followed the easternlDrallello a Towpass,wllichoverlooked narrowgolge thatter-ainateda shorts-av do+sTnn another wigll earelplain. ThereaS Ilo trackof ally liindto be seell llere,and myguides told me

that tlse COUlltiy eyondwas grazedover lv a llomad tril)e,called Kil'ghiS, who did not own allegiance to the Rudokauthorities, hat tlley *^rereleat thievesancl obbels,and occa-sionallycalue to Tanltseto excharlgetheir wool for grain, of

whicll they had none. 'I'lleseare the peoplewho wanderoverthe plains,thence to Ilchi, and into a terra incot,nitaon theeast.

It was not until late that I got lDacko camp, oing to bedwith the prospectof a stiS ascent next day. I was up andoff)erT eary at this hour it wasvery cold, the water o:Shelittle streamfrozenhard,alldthe baclssof the y;iks +X7eleuite

Tibet H H Godwin Austen

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