lo
vfli >>
m
m
-uuM m.w:MK
W:
wn
j; >? ins M., J
r -:-: i'f n ft; )? ts J
M .:>■'.
"J'l W
5^
TIBF'I TL ;
^loration
/ /, o
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
/
IN TIBET AND CHINESE TURKESTAN
FOR CLIMB2RS, TRAVELLERS, AND OTHERS.
IN THE ICE-WORLD OF HIMA- LAYA. Bv Fanny Bullock Workman and William Hunter Workman. Illus- trated from Photographs, and with Four large Maps. Demy 8vo, cloth gilt, 1 6s.
Lonpon: T. fisher L'NWIN, Paternoster Square, E.G.
y^/f/ /^%^..fL^
^>/w-'*>
TaasfciJSf-jSsssjssEs^si^;
ss;;
^
\
Kn
9k fi )
/.v =sf, ?f af4
," .-j^Viyai^f|>;#igi«'i^fr:^ty>i>fMrfll
•^- 4.^ j\,.?\^^-
'\
Hj
;
Kii «V*^' .1%
IN TIBET AND CHINESE TURKESTAN
BEING THE RECORD OF THREE YEARS' EXPLORATION
BY
CAPTAIN H. H. P. DEASY
LATE 16TH QUEEN'S LANCERS, GOLD MEDALIST OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
^A/'ITH APPENDICES, MAPS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS -i- -■■
ii;;;^t; llic fio^cn Yaikaiitl Rivii
LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN PATERNOSTER SQUARE. 1901
SECOXD IMPRESSION
[All rigJtts reserved ]
/^
PREFACE
TN presenting to the public a record of my journeys and -"- explorations in Tibet and Chinese Turkestan, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to Colonel St. G. C. Gore, B.E., Surveyor-General of India, and to the Officers and Officials of the Trigonometrical Branch at Dehra Dun for the very great assistance given me by them, both privately and officially.
My thanks are also due to my friend, Arnold Pike, for his genial companionship, his very valuable services in numerous ways and for his ready acquiescence in allowing me to reproduce some of his photographs.
Amongst the many others to whom I owe a debt of gratitude are the Council of the Royal Geographical Society; Major G. Chenevix Trench, formerly British Joint Connnissioner in Ladak; Captain A. H. MacMahon, C.I.E., C.S.I., formerly Political Agent at Gilgit ; G. Macartney, Esq., CLE., Special Assistant for Chinese Affairs to the Kesident in Kashmir ; Major W. R. Yeilding, CLE., D.S.O. ; the Astronomer Royal, Mr. W. H. M. Christie, C.B. ; Mr. E. G. ]^aker, of the British Museum, for kindly preparing the ]^otanical Appendix ;
518767
viii PRJ-I'ACE.
and Mr. G. Iv H. I^arrett-Hamilton, F.Z.S., for allowinj^' me to publish his Paper on my coHection of Mammals.
Of a more special cliaracter is my gratitude towards the many friends who showed me kindnc^ss during two long weary months spent in the Ripon Hospital at Simla.
1 am indebted to the Koyal Geographical Society for allowing me to reproduce the map whicli is a reduction from all the sheets of my maps publisluul by the Survey of India.
Throughout this work I have been actuated by one main idea, and that is to record the more interesting features of my journeys without in any w'ay exaggerating.
H. H. P. DEASY.
Cavalry Club, Piccadilly. Marcli, 1901.
CONTENTS
CHAPTElt I
Desire to explore — Tibet a good field — Difficulties to be encountered — Object of expedition — Preparations in Srinagar — Goodbye to Trench — Crossing the Zoji La — Matayan — Journey to Leh — Ar- ranging the caravan — Departure from Leh — Visit to Himis Monastery — Crossing the Chang La — Hired transport — Fobrang — Final preparations — The Marsemik La Cluing Chenmo — Crossing the frontier — Entering unknown land Without guides — Com- mencement of triangulation — Horpa or Gurnien Cho — Magnificent snow mountains -I'ntrained assistants — Ourlirstyak — Yeshil Kul — No water — " Fever Camp " . . . . .
CilAl'TEl! 11
Serious and light literature — Death of animals — Excursion of Leno — Dad water — llecovery — Weakness^Continuing the journey — Observation under difficulties —Thousands of antelopes — Recon- noitring— Sickness -Darren and waterless country -Economising candles — Another route decided upon -Lazy caravan men — Tame antelope — Death of Pike's pony- -" Daily " stream — Fertile valley — Difficulty of finding a ford — Am Cho — Death of my riding pony — Illness of Sanman — Animals straying -Caravan men suspected - IJohhcd by Chnkpas ......
CONTENTS.
CHAl'TER III
PAGK
Council of War — Plan of operations — Skill and pluck of Pike — Changfunchuk — Chukpas completely surprised — Anxiety about Pike — Searching for missing animals — Burning surplus baggage — Our situation — Serious outlook — "Caching" stores — Making clothes out of tents -Illness of Pike — Anxiety about water — Waterless camp — Meeting with Xomads — They refuse to help us — Shown the wrong direction — Lost in the desert . . .38
CHAl'TEK IV
Lost in the desert — Found by Pike — Sudden ending of a river — Keconnoitring — Entering inhabited country : — Gerge — Negotiations with Tibetans — Inquisitive — Medicine useless — Enemy strongly reinforced — No assistance obtainable — We decide to start at all costs — Expected fight — Peaceful departure — False news — Gerche — Arranging for transport — Natives willing to assist us — Fear of severe punishments — Compelled to return to Ladak — Departure from Gerche — Alternative routes — Difficulty of surveying — Scarcity of grass and water — Dreadful sore backs — Treatment of wounds — Eecord Ovis Amnion head . . . . . .51
CHAPTEE V
Good water — Difficult ascent — Hard work — Departure of our escort — Mountain sickness — Game very wild — Misled by guide — Annoying , ponies — Trying ascent to a hill station — News of Chukpas — Guides propose an attack — Division of spoil — Keze Chaka — Halwa — En- forced short marches — Bad state of transport — Feelings of Tibetans towards Europeans — Pombos — Taxes — Curious behaviour of sick mule — Dusty camp — Frozen ink — Waterless camp — Strange river — In search of Kundor — Flashing signals — Reliable news of Rundor
CHAPTEl! VI
llamzan sent to Ladak — His excuse for delaying — Pike's love of cold water — Annoying caravan men — Rundor — " Presents " from Pombo — Fresh transport — Names of places — Large glacier — The Nabo La — Mountain sickness — Sanman again disobedient — The last halt — Cold weather — Accident to theodolite — End of survey- ing— Strange visitor — Rassoula's " konka " — Grass and fuel very scarce — Death of animals — Our scribe Rassoula — Sending for transport and supplies — Shooting ponies — Arrival of men from
CONTENTS. .. xi
PAGK
Lutkum — \Yoo(l at last — The waterless camps^Arrival at Lutkum — Retain to Leh — The Zoji La in winter — Frozen to death — End of journey . . . . . .82
CHAPTER VII
Preparations at Srinagar — Start from BandiJJtora — Trouble with Khalik — Trial of Khalik — Stay at Gilgit — Hunza — Mutinous pony men — Journey to the Pamirs — Frost-bitten — Difficulty of surveying in winter — Trouble with natives — Visit to Cobbold . . . 101
CHAPTER VIII
Earthquakes — Raskam — -Fording Yarkand River — Bazar Dara — Approach to Kukalung Pass — Zad — Recrossing Kukalung Pass — Camp at 10,000 feet — Incorrect maps — Description of country — Illness of Dalbir Rai — Approach to Sandal Dawan — Bivouacking on mountain-side — Dysentery — Easy marches — Arrival at Yarkand HO
CHAPTER IX
Reception at Yarkand — Dining with the Amban — After effects — Swedish missionaries — Another attempt at exploration in winter — Route followed — Foiled by snowstorm — Recrossing the Yarkand River — Punishment of dishonest natives — Incapacitated by illness — Kosarab — Return to Yarkand — Meeting Macartney and Father Hendriks — Stay in Yarkand— Apology of Teetai — Observing in Yangi Shahr- -Ignorance of Chinese officials — Islam Akun - Preparations for excursion to the Takla Makan — Discover}* about " ancient " Khotan MSS. — Suspicions about Islam Akun . 132
CHAPTER X
Departure from Yarkand — Guma— The Takla Makan -Kara Targaz — Waste of water — Ignorance of guides — Lucky return — Punishment of guides — Return to Guma — Journey to Khotan — Khotan - Islam Akun rewarded -Run on the medicine chest — Diseases — Chloroform— Important operation — Departure for Polu — Chaka — Hazy weather — Escaping attention — Entertained by a Mullah - Polu — Stay at Polu — Negotiations with Cliinese —Anxiety about Ladakis — Kiria — Delay there— Niglit march — Sorgak gold mines — Raju very lazy — Kara Sai ..... 1-")1
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI
PAGE
Departure for Tibet — Chinese post — Tolan Khoja valley — Second journey to Tibet — Atish Pass — Shor Kul — Digging for water — The Kiria River — Yepal Ungur — Bad weather — Reconnoitring — Raju leaves for Polu — Journey to Aksu — Beginning triangulation — Return to Yepal Ungur — Departure of Kara Sai men — Fine snow range — Going east again — Reconnoitrers useless — Bad health — No feasible route — Yepal Ungur once more — Fording Kiria River — Ruin at Baba Hatun — Sources of Kiria River — Numerous glaciers — Journey to Yeshil Kul — Return to "Fever Camp" — Connecting with 1890 work ...... 171
CHAPTER Xn
Magnificent scenery — Wellby's peaks — Strong winds — Returning — Work near Babu Hatun — Return to Aksu — Arrival of Raju with supplies — Checking previous work — Dalbir Rai sick — Ulugh Kul — Sources of Khotan River — Fine yak — Camp 116 — Accident to ponies— Finishing surveying— The Polu gorge— Punishing theft —Vile track — Welcome presents — Return to Polu— Dinner to headmen — Dalbir Rai threatens to murder me — Abdul Karim saves bloodshed— Bad weather— Return to Yarkand— Dilatory post . 191
CHAPTER XHI
Preparations at Yarkand — Fourth attempt to explore valley of Yarkand River — Route followed — Dentistry — The Khandar Dawan — Lying Tajiks — Wacha or Uchi— Reception by Ming Bashi and headmen — Return to Gombaz — Visit from Sher Mohammed — Airy tents — Measuring bases— Fine views of Muz Tagh Ata — Its height — Hard work — Arrival of Ram Singh — Error in longitude of Gombaz — No information obtainable — Start for Mariong — Mariong— No Pamir — False information — Nosh Tung — The Yarkand River- Lying natives — Steep gravel slope — Camp in jungle — Bad track — No route ......•• 204
CHAPTER XIV
Description of valley — Height of mountains — Return to Nosh Tung^ Hiring yaks— The Sargon Pass — Dangerous descent — Pinchanyart — Grombchef sky's route — Frozen rivers — Jungle — Shamatagle — Difficulty of observing — The Tugadir Pass— Awful track — Meeting
J
CONTEXTS. xiii
with Pil men — Dangerous corner — Pil — No petroleum — Suspicions about me — Unable to descend the valley — Arrival of supplies — Borrowing more money — Departure from Pil— Chadder Tash — Accident to donkey — " Drop " on track — Anxiety about animals — Slow march — Pilipert ...... 226
CHAPTEE XV
Yul Bash — Guides entrapped — Ascent up glacier — The Mamakul Pass — Trying observations — Exposure — The descent— Zambok frozen to death — Long march — Travelling in the dark — Miskan — Difficult march — Easkam — Lazy yak-men — Object accomplished — Lengthy detour — Precipitous ascent to Topa Dawan — Good news— Yul Bash the liar — Accident to yak — Eeturn route — Tents useless — Earn Singh does good work— Natives refuse information— Paying off the yak-men — Issok Bulok Agzi .... 242
CHAPTEE XVI
My friends the Kirghiz — Eejoining the caravan — Eeturn of Islam — Second Christmas at Zad — Down the Kulan Urgi valley — Tir re^ visited — Ice still too weak — Excursions from Tir — Cold bivouacs — Frozen rivers — The Kuramut Dawan — Apathy of natives — Guide frost-bitten — Ghosts — Down the Yarkand Eiver — News from Kashgar — Alarm about plague — Annoying natives — Langar — Tashkurghan Eiver — Narrow escape of caravan — Eotten ice — Bridging — Donkeys escape cold bath — Description of valley — Short of money — Bad part of track — Cutting ice-steps for animals — The Kesin Pass — Surveying under difficulties — Evicting animals from house — Unpleasant surroundings — No water — An unexpected meeting — Crossing the Teriart Eiver — Waterproofing my garments — Curious cavities in rocks — Sending news to Kashgar — Task completed- Back to Chumdi— Up the Asgan Sal valley— Eobbery by Chinese official — Completion of journey — Eeturn to Yarkand . 200
CHAl'TElt XVII
Trouble about money— The Khan Arik route — Large oasis — Khan Arik — Meeting Macartney — Hospitable hosts — Civilisation — Muz Tagh Ata and Mount Kungur — The Taotai — Formal complaints — His promise — Dinner with the Taotai — Feeling a fool — M. Peti'ov- sky — Swedish missionaries — Macartney's position — Departure from Kashgar . . . . . . . 283.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTPn; XVIII
PAGE
ilarpa — Preparations in Yaikand — Attack on missionaries — Plucky behaviour of Macartney — Delays in starting — Eastwards once more — Stopped at Khotan — Complaint to Macartney — Stormy interviews with Amban — Passport useless — Circumventing the Amban — Reply to complaint — Dust storm in desert — Arrival at Polu — Loss of sheep — Opposition by Chinese — Negotiations broken off — " Protection " refused — Eaju dismissed — No assistance obtainable — Compelled to start ..... 297
CHAPTER XIX
Heavy rain — Fresh animals— Hard work — Death of Kasim — Snow- storms— Driving sheep — Loss of baggage — Bleak bivouac — Saroz Kul — Ponies strayed — False alarm — Amban's "kind" oi'ders — Sickness — Meeting Islam with camels — Camp 110 — Ram Singh still unable to work — Imperative to abandon journey — " Caching " — Return to Ladak — Meeting Europeans again — Green fields — Leh — Disposal of caravan — Pleasant march — Srinagar — Simla — Hos- pital— Kind visitors — Homewards ..... 312
CHAPTER XX
Administration — Cost to China — Unpaid officials — Squeezing — Taxes — Forced loan — " Justice " — Prisons — Paupers — Irrigation — Slavery — Agriculture — Industries — Minerals — Trade — Money- lenders— Transport animals — Post —Telegraph . . . 328
CHAPTER XXI
Strength of "Army" — Military administration— Artillery — Accident to " Artillery " officer — Russian designs — The Kanjut claims — Russian counter-claims — Opinion of Chinese rule — Necessity for care — Possible danger from Afghanistan — Sport — Ovu Poll — Rurrhel — Chicore — Antelope — Kyang — Yak . . . 349
.APPENDICES . . . _. . . . . -ddr)
GLOSSARY . . . . . . . .407
INDEX ......... 409
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE AUTHOR IN NATIVE PRESS
THE START FROM SRINAGAK
A NASTY PART OF THE TRACK
COOLIES RESTING ON THE SNOW
VILLAGE COURT AT DRAS
IIY CARAVAN LEAVING LEH .
" DAN LENO," MY FIRST SUB-SURVEYOR
THE CHANGZOTE OF THE HIMIS MONASTERY
LOADING SHEEP AT FOBRANG
CARAVAN REACHING RIMDI .
PIKE RECONNOITRING
BURNING THE BERTHON BOAT
THE AUTHOR RECEIVING TIBETAN VISI'l'ORS
TIBETANS BRINGING PRESENTS
PIKE ISSUING RATIONS
A TIBETAN TENT ....
TIBETANS SHOOTING
THE RECORD OVIS AMMON HEAD
SOME OF OUR TIBETAN ESCORT
PIKE SHOWING CAMERA TO TIBETANS
A TYPICAL SCENE IN TIBET
LARGE GLACIER NEAR THE NABO LA (pASS)
WATERLESS CAMP NEAR THE AN LA (PASS) .
CAMP AT PAGRIM ....
PIKE QUESTIONING TIBETANS AT NIAGZU .
SCENE NEAR THE AN LA (PASs)
APPROACHING THE ZOJI LA
MY ORDERLY, ABDUL KARIM
ARREST OF ABDUL KHALIK .
MY PATHAN PONY MEN
1$AD TRACK IN HUNZA
KANJUTS CARRYING BAGGAGE UP A PRECIPlCi:
TOP OF THE ILISU PASS
SCENE IN THE VALLEY OF THE TALDE KOL SI- HAULING YAKS UP A PRECIPICE NEAR THE SANDA (iENERAL VIEW OF THE ASGAN SAL VALLEY
PECULIAR GEOLOGICAL F0UM.4TI0N IN THE ASGAN
ENTRANCE TO THE YAMEN AT YARKAND
XV
Fariini
vM. VALLEY
Frontispiece
PAGE
5
Facing (i
7
9 10 12 13 17 •29 41 48 55 50 5S (51 64
m
73
77
85
87
91
93
97
100
103
107
lOs
110
111
117
119
1-27
1-29
131
133
Fdcnui
XVI
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
NEW YEAR S FESTIVITIES AT YAItKAXD BEATINCt the YUZ BASHI of TIB . CROSSING THE FROZEN YAEKAND RIVKl! A NASTY CORNER FOR CAMELS
MR. G. macartney's RECEPTION BY THE INDIAN SCENE IN THE TAKLA MAKAN DESERT TRAVELLING IN THE TAKLA JIAKAN DESERT ISLAM AKUN IN DISGRACE . GENERAL VIEW OF POLU A CASE OF ELEPHANTIASIS . TYPES OF LADAKI CARAVAN MEN MY ABODE AT KARA SAI .
LOADING THE DONKEYS
VIEW OF KWEN LUN RANGE FROM SHOR KUL GENER.AL VIEW OF YEPAL UNfiUR KARA SAI PONY MEN FORDING THE KIRIA RIVER . TAKING . OBSERVATIONS IN CAMP SCENE IN THE POLU GORGE FEEDING MY FRIENDS AT POLL- TYPES OF YARKANDI WOMEN STREET SCENE IN YARKAND
THE BEG OF SARIKOL AND A GROUl' OF lA.IIKS JIY CAMP AT KHURAK A NATIVE BLACKSMITH ICE FRINGE ON YARKAND RIVER LOOKING DOWN THE VALLEY OF THE YARKAND
OF THE MISGAN JILGA . BIVOUAC AT TARIM BOKO THE WALL OF YANGI SHAHR, YARKAND NATIVE WOMEN GOING TO MARKET . THE MARKET-PLACE, KASHGAK STREET SCENE IN KASHGAR
GROUP OF YARKANDI TRANSPORT CONTRACTORS THE CHOW-KUAN OF KHOTAN A WATER CARRIER AT KHOTAN DANGEROUS DESCENT IN THE POLO GORCJE TYPES OF LADAKI CARAVAN MEN MY CARAVAN MEN .... THE CHOW-KUAN OF YARKAND AN OLD OFFENDER. . . .
A (iROUP OF BEGGAl'.S
CHINESE SOIiDIERS RETURNlNCi FROM PARADE SKINNING A yak's HE.\D
MAP.
PART OF TIBET AND SIN CHIANG
|
PAGE |
|
|
130 |
|
|
138 |
|
|
139 |
|
|
141 |
|
|
■RADERS AT YARKAND . |
145 |
|
147 |
|
|
. Faciiui |
152 |
|
155 |
|
|
159 |
|
|
1G3 |
|
|
168 |
|
|
169 |
|
|
172 |
|
|
175 |
|
|
177 |
|
|
181 |
|
|
187 |
|
|
. Faciiuj |
192 |
|
196 |
|
|
198 |
|
|
205 |
|
|
207 |
|
|
211 |
|
|
215 il 2211 |
|
|
231 |
|
|
IVER FROM THE MOUTH |
|
|
252 |
|
|
267. |
|
|
285 |
|
|
288 |
|
|
291 |
|
|
. luiciiifi |
292 |
|
298 |
|
|
305 |
|
|
307 |
|
|
. Faciiin |
315 |
|
316 |
|
|
325 |
|
|
329 |
|
|
335 |
|
|
337 |
|
|
351 |
|
|
362 |
Front.
IN TIBET AND CHINESE TUBKESTAN
CHAPTER I
Desire to explore — Tibet a good field — Difficulties to be encovmtercd — Object of expedition — Preparations in Srinagar — Goodbye to Trench — Crossing the Zoji La — Matayan — Journey to Leh — Arranging the caravan — Departure from Leh — Visit to Hiniis Monastery — Crossing the Chang La — Hired transport — Fobrang — Final preparations — The Marseniik La Chang Chennio — Cross- ing the frontier — Entering unknown land — Without guides — Conuiiencement of triangulation — Horpa or Gurnien Cho — Mag- nificent snow mountains — Lhitrained assistants — Our first yak — ■ Yeshil Kul — No water — " Fever Camp."
~r HAD long entertained the desire to travel in some -■- unknown country, and in the spring of 1896, when circumstances were favourable, the wish was transformed into a settled purpose. The vast extent of the territory marked " unexplored " on the map of Tibet, then recently published, at once attracted me, and it was to this inhos- pitable and almost inaccessible land that I resolved to proceed. My efforts had already been devoted to the study of the appliances which are indispensable to tlie explorer. Kemembering Sir Eichard Burton's warning that travel in unknown lands is mere waste of time unless the traveller has suitable instruments and skill to
2 1
2 IN TIBET AND CHINESE TURKESTAN.
use them, I had sought to acquire the requisite know- ledge. In 1893, when home on sick leave from India, I had begun the study of astronomy and surveying under the guidance of Mr. Coles of the Eoyal Geographical Society. On several voyages to and from India I was able, by the kindness of many of the P. and 0. Company's officers, to practise regularly the taking of sights at sea. At the Trigonometrical Branch of the Survey of India, Dehra Dun, I devoted some time to these studies under Colonel St. G. C. Gore, R.E., to whom I am deeply indebted for valuable instruction and assistance.
To determine the probable error in longitude arrived at from observations of moon culminating stars, a method of ascertaining longitude not the best, but the next best, irrespective of all but local time, I took two series of observations with a six-inch transit theodolite, one series by the kind permission of the Astronomer Eoyal at the lioyal Observatory, Greenwich, and the second at Luck- now, where I was quartered for some time. These observations, but especially those taken at Greenwich, proved of very great value, and I was able to judge with close approximation what degree of accuracy might be expected. The result of live nights' work at Greenwich gave an error of less than one second, and the error at Lucknow was about five seconds of time.
Besides learning astronomy and surveying, I devoted much time to the study both of the theory and the prac- tice of medicine and surgery, for, to my regret, I knew very little about them.
The south-eastern part of the great Central Asian plateau, known to Ladakis and Tibetans as Chang Tang, and to Europeans as Tibet, presents an enormous field for exploration and surveying, but no portion of Asia is more difficult to penetrate, and, owing to the intense dislike of the natives to strangers, the difficultv of
DIFFICULTIES TO BE OVERCOME. 3
entering is exceeded by that of remaining, even for a short time, within the country.-
To show the conditions under which, to be successful, a lengthy journey into the little known land of the Lamas must be prosecuted, it will not be superfluous to mention some of the difficulties which must be overcome. Con- sidered separately, the most serious are those of obtaining transport, supplies, guides, and trustworthy men, but these and many others are included in the fact that the journey lies through an uninhabited country.
Transport must be purchased, as no natives of any adjoining country will provide animals for more than a few marches across the frontier. The best beasts of burden for Tibet are undoubtedly the sheep of the country or of Ladak. If in good condition at starting, and in charge of a man who knows his business, they will carry loads of about 22 lbs. for a long time, but they must not be hustled, nor driven more than twelve or fourteen miles daily, and they should have at least one day's rest every week. Sheep do not require either corn or shoes, which must be carried for all other animals, of which the small, sturdy mule from Chang Tang is the best, donkeys ranking next, and the hardy, small, thick- set pony of Tibet, Ladak, Kashmir, or Turkestan, a good third. Suitable animals are not - always easily purchased in Kashmir, while in Chinese Turkestan it is most difficult and tedious to obtain them, even at fancy prices.
An equally important matter is the provisioning of the caravan. In the present state of affairs it is absolutely necessary to keep to the uninhabited country, and, if the journey is to be a long one, the supplies must include not only food for the men for some months, but grain for the animals as well. Owing to the great elevation, only those who are accustomed to hard work in rarefied air should be engaged as caravan men. For caravan work the
4 /X riBET AND CHINESE TURKESTAN.
Arguns of Ladak are most suitable, bein<f iiniiieasurably superior to the natives of Turkestan. The hitter, being unused to the conditions of Hfe at great altitudes, are, in general, easily exhausted. Excellent as Arguns are for this service under very trying conditions, nearly all of them are utterly devoid of courage of the combative sort. In the midst of difficulties arising from the nature of the ground they do their work most admirably, undergoing hardship) and exposure without a murmur, but when trouble is caused by liuman enemies they are simply helpless. Ninety-nine out of a hundred Arguns if attacked will neither fight nor make the slightest show of resistance.
Doubtless many inhabitants of the country near the frontier are intimately acquainted with the principal routes from their neighbourhood into Tibet, but so great is the dread of the Pombos, or headmen of Tibet, who with their assistants threaten vengeance against all who guide strangers into the Chang, and even against the relations of such guides, that every one denies all know- ledge of the country. ,
A journey without guides through an unknown country represented on the map merely by a blank space, becomes more dit'ticuh and trying wlien the region is without in- habitants. There the traveller is at the mercy of acci- dents. Provisions may fail, w^ater may be unattainable, animals may die or be lost, disease may invade the caravan, and any one of these calamities might be fatal to the expedition. On the other hand, if inhabitants were encountered at an early stage of our journey into Tibet, our advance would certiiinly l)e stopped. A route had therefore U) be chosen where none would be found. The general object of my first expedition was to explore and survey, as accurately as time and circumstances would permit, an extent of country on either side of a route which was to be distant from the routes of other
PRFJWR.lTfOXS fX SRfXA(;AR. 5
travellers. The only way by which I could confidently rely upon enterinf,^ Tibet without opposition was via Ladak and the Lanak Pass.
At Srinagar, Pike and I were the guests of the hospit- able Captain G. Chenevix-Trench, and our time was fully occupied with the necessary prepara.tions. Here we were provided with travelling outfit for ourselves, for the sub- surveyor, and for two orderlies from tlie 1st P>attalion of
iiAin ii;iiM SKIN \(.Ai;.
the '2nd Gurkha regiment. The /oji La, a nHich-di-ead(Ml pass where the loads would have- to be carried by the coolies, was not far ahead, and, in packing the Yak dans and making up the bundles, it was necessary to limit their weight. The maximum which a coolie would attempt to carry over the pass was 50 lbs., but we had a Berthon duplex collapsible boat, and also loads of ammunition, which could not be l)rou'2ht within this reuulation maxi-
6 /X TIBET AXD CHIXESR TURKESTAN.
iiniiii. For the transport of these we therefore provided carriers in numbers proportioned to the weight. After many busy days these and sundry other matters were duly arranged, and, having said goodbye to Trench, whose assistance I shall always gratefully remember, we were paddled across the pretty Dal Lake to its western shore, wdiere our march began.
We soon left behind us the picturesque Scind Valley and approached the Zoji La. Although the pass is only 11,500 feet high, it is by no means easy to cross, especially in spring and early summer, when destructive avalanches are not infrequent. At Baltal we entered the large rest-house which had recently been erected for travellers, and which contained ample accommodation for coolies. It was our purpose to attempt the pass during the night, for then the snow would be comparatively firm. To be ready to set out in a few hours, I lay down on a bundle of pine branches which served to keep me off the wet and muddy floor. I was eagerly alert and watchful for the light of the moon which was to show us our way. The coolies, over one hundred in number, had agreed to the nocturnal march, and as soon as the light was sufficient I called them to set out. Nothing would now induce them to move, the excuse being that it was forbidden by one of the great gods of India, " Dustour " (custom), to start before four o'clock in the morning.
About that hour they began to move, though the weather looked very bad. and there was but little moon- light. The long march, entirely through deep, soft snow, w^as trying, and it was not till late in the evening that w^e were able to refresh ourselves with tea at Matayan. There a small rest-house had been built, containing only one room, and that large enough to hold only four beds. The place was cheerless and bare, and could afford us nothing but a little firewood.
^6W
A CRUEL CUSTOM. 7
The journey to Leh was marked by one unpleasant event, a slight attack of sunstroke from which Pike suffered owing to insufficient protection from the sun, and by troublesome mules, many of which showed great dislike of their loads.
The mules and ponies, the former in excellent condi- tion, had met us a few marches from Leh, and I at once
COOLIES RESTINfi ON THE SNOW.
set myself against the absurd and cruel habit in vogue in Turkestan, and seen also in Ladak, of tying up animals without food or water for some hours after a march, and of watering soon after feeding. On this subject Kamzan, who, I believe, had been a tailor, but had now blossomed out into a bashi, or head of a caravan, received strict orders, which he repeated to me, and, apparently, clearly understood, but the moment my back was turned and the
8 IN TIHET AND CHINESE TURKESTAN.
nosebags taken off, he commenced watering the animals, a proceeding which provoked me to pkiin, rather than poHte words.
Thanks to the good services of Bishan Dass, the Wazir of Ladak, we were enabled to get, without trouble, the large quantity of supplies which we required. This ofticial, as indeed all of the Kashmir State, with the exception of the Governor of Srinagar, rendered us in
VILLAGE COUKT AT DKAS.
many ways invaluable assistance, for which I am much indebted.
While at Leh all the loads had to be rearranged and weighed, and their contents carefully catalogued ; flour, rice, bread, ghee, barley, suttoo (theoretically, ground parched barley, but practically, often adulterated with sand, <.l'c., indigestible even to Ladakis), and many sets of horse shoes and nails had to be bought, packed up, weighed, sealed, and catalogued.
DEPARTURE FRO. If LEU.
Here also we had to enga^^^e some fresh caravan men. We could not give precise information as to our destination and, consequently, some who had formerly been willing to accompany us, now said that their health, or the health of their relations required them to remain at home. In Ladak a traveller collecting a large caravan is supposed to have in view either a journey to Yarkand, or an attempt to reach Lhasa. A denial of the former purpose is equiva-
'^r^st|
MY CAKAV.VN LEAVING LEH.
lent to an admission of the latter, whilt> no statement respecting any third course seems worth considering. Men who have been tempted by the prospect of good pay, seldom refuse to run the risk of involving themselves or their friends in pains and penalties for the sake of a- stranger. Those also of our men who were less in dread of the Tibetans, naturally wished to know where we were going. As we ourselves did not know, we could not tell them, and, to compensate for the vagueness of our
lo IN TIBET AND CHINESE TURKESTAN
purpose, our promises of pay and of backsheesh had to be clear and lar^e.
All the ponies purchased for us prior to our arrival in Leh were in very poor condition, vi^hile some of them were so old as to be of but little value. The mules had been very well looked after during the winter, and were in excellent condition. So fresh were they that for the
" 1>.VX I.ENO," ilY FIltST srr.-SUliVKYOK.
first few marches, even when fully loaded, it was absolutely necessary for each one to be led.
After a couple of postponements, due to convenient "hurrah dins," or holy days (literally, big days), no doubt arranged for the occasion, and to excuses from nearly all the men, the caravan at length, on May '25th, set out from Leh amidst a scene of great excitement.
The cavalcade, which was of imposing extent, was in charge of the sub-surveyor, S- D , whom Pike
VISIT TO HIM IS MONASTERY. ii
familiarly called " Dan Leno," a name to which, even when abbreviated to "Leno," he readily answered.
Unfortunately, the best of the two Ghurka orderlies was suffering from remittent fever. To take him further was out of the question, and though the poor fellow pleaded hard and burst into tears of disappointment, he had to be left at Leh in charge of the doctor, who was enjoined to send him back to his regiment as soon as he was fit to travel.
The Chang La, a very high pass on the direct route between Leh and the Pangkong Lake, being still impracticable for animals, a large part of the caravan had to make a long detour, and Pike and I had time to visit the celebrated Himis Monastery on the opposite side of the Indus.
The Changzote, or head lama, honoured us by coming to meet us a few miles from the establishment, where tea, chang, &c., were offered us.
Tea is no doubt an excellent social beverage, and very refreshing, but the concoction which was presented under the guise of tea was unworthy of the name. It was a preparation of twigs and dirt with a few tea-leaves thrown in ; the mixture is first well boiled, then improved by the addition of ghee, salt, and milk, and finally churned. At the risk of giving offence, I disclaimed the love of tea and expressed a decided preference for chang or even water. Chang is a drink made from barley, and is said to be an intoxicant, but, though I have often drunk it, I never could get any " forrarder " from it.
I shall make no attempt to describe the Monastery, which abler pens than mine have already made familiar to readers of books of travel.
Having recrossed the Indus we spent the night at Zingral in a wretched shelter, called a serai, about 1,400 feet below the top of the Chang La. Up to
12 /.y TiiiiiT A\n L'/i/x/'.s/-: riKK/isywN.
this point we had been able to bring riding ponies, l)ut had now to continue the ascent on foot. With the prospect of a long and tiring march across the pass, we set out at about two o'clock in the morning from the insect-infested room, which ovidontlv had often served as
IIANl./n| l:
n I II I III \\\~
M"\ \'- 1 l:K^ .
a stable, and in about two hours we reached the summit. Fortunately the morning was not very dark, and although there was a moderate fall of snow from about 3 a.m. we were generally al)le to keep to the track made Ijy the coolies, eventually reachint,^ the village of Durguk about eleven in the forenoon.
FINAL PREPARATIONS. 15
The rest-houses in these parts are a great convenience to travellers, but might easily be improved. Doubtless they are liable to abuse at times, but there are permanent causes of discomfort which might be removed. For the insect plague there is probably no remedy, but, on a hill- slope, the construction of a dry floor and a chimney with sufticient draught to carry up the smoke seems not im- practicable. To the natives the warmth of the smoke from the green fuel on the hearth compensates for its pungency, but my eyes never became habituated to the discomfort.
At Fobrang, a tiny village of about half a dozen houses, at an altitude of about 14,800 feet, probably the highest cultivated place in the world, we halted for some days to await the arrival of the caravan. Here we obtained the last instalment of the supplies which our good friend liishan Dass had collected for us ; we also purchased sheep for transport purposes, and arranged for carriers to go on ahead with the sheep by easy stages as far as the Lanak La, on the west side of which they would lind grass.
When our preparations were complete the caravan, all told, consisted of Pike and myself, Leno (the sub-surveyor), Ixassoula (cook), one Ghurka orderly, two sikhs, Dass (cool'; foi' tlic lliiidiis), Ivanizan (caravan baslii), ten caravan men, and one shepherd, besides the carriers who were sent on in front with the sheep. The transport animals comprised twenty-seven mules, thirty-five ponies, and fifty sheep, but there were among us also three riding ponies and a donkey, a very fine one, which had been given to Eassoula. The nniles were said to be Chinese, but their native land was (l()iil)iriil : ilic ponies were from Kargil, Zanskar. and Ladak; two of the riding ponies were from Badakshan, the other and the donkey from Yarkand. Our baggage contained personal effects,
i6 /.y riiiirr Axn ciii.xr.sr. tcrkhstax.
uiuiiiunitiun, tents, medicines, instruments, cooking' utensils, money, and various articles which, if necessary, mif^'ht be ^iven as presents. ]jut food supplies formed the most burdensome part of our e(|uipment. These con- sisted chiefly of grain, Ijread, and tinned meats. We had <S,650 lbs. of partially crushed barley, 1,480 lbs. of attali, J,"20(> lbs. of Kusta or Ladak bread, which keeps well for mouths, (J'iU lbs. of rice, and 1,810 lbs. of Suttoo. The tinned meats, instruments, money, ko,., were packed in yak dans, while Suttoo, attah, rice, and Kusta were put into sacks made of Baxter Brothers' water-proof canvas. Every yak dan, box, sack, and package was weighed and nundjered, and the weight recorded in the catalogue. Yak dans were padlocked, one key opening all ; sacks were sealed with leaden seals so that no one could open them in our absence without detection. The total weight of baggage and stores was about 17,000 lbs., or more than six and a half tons, an appalling amount to be loaded and unloaded daily, especially as the Ladaki caravan men are undoubtedly very bad packers. But we carried nothing which could be dispensed with, and as a large portion of the food supplies was for the animals the weight would rapidly diminish.
We had a choice of two rcjutes from Fobrang t(j Lanak Ija, one by the An La, Xiagzu, and Kieuns La, the other by the Marsemik La, Pamzal, and Kyam. The former seemed preferable for several reasons : it was considered to be the easier ; it was not, as the Marsemik was reported to be, blocked with snow; and, lastly, part of this route, in particular the An La, was not mapped. But just as we were about to start, we learned that for some distance in this direction water was very scarce ; we knew also that two officers of the liifle Brigade had recently crossed the Marsemik, and, on the whole, it seemed the more prudent course to follow the latter route. We en-
THE MARSEMIK LA CIIAXC CIIIiXMO. 19
deavourcd to obtain yiiks t(j relieve oui" own animals in crossing the snow-covered pass, but, being unsuccessful, had to put all the baggage on the mules and ponies.
Having completed our arrangements we set out on June 9th from Fobrang, the last village w^e should see for nearly five months. The ascent of the Marsemik was accomplished with ease, for the few patches of frozen snow which had to be crossed presented no obstacle, and we hoped to be abl(> the same day to reach IJiiiidi. where we should find a resting place. J3ut the descent on the eastern slope was very difhcult. The snow was deep and soft, almost impassable for our heavy-laden animals. At first the leaders went on without mishap, bat the mules and ponies behind soon began to stray from the track and to flounder about most distressingly-r In a short time they were struggling to free themselves from their en- cumbrances ; the baggage was scattered about in the snow in all directions, and scarcely an animal was carry- ing its load. The Arguns worked hard and did their best, but it was evident that all thoughts of pushing on the caravan to liimdi that day must be abandoned. This was my first experience of the atmospheric conditions at a great altitude, and T was phj'sically unable to render much assistance. I suffered from a severe headache, which continued till we reached a considerably lower level, but tlic caraviin men seemed to siitTer ik* ineon- venience whatever from the rarefaction of the air.
Tents, bedding, and some cooking utensils having been collected and placed on (lie backs of tlie ainmals wliii-h seemed least exhausted. I'ike and 1. acconn)anied i)y Leno and the servants. \\v\\^ able in ((Uitiinie the descent. The soft snow reached to the ^irlhs of the mules, but we pusluMl on and. hitc m the afternoon, found th(> spot called Kimdi. a fairly IcncI piece of stony ground with a scanty sup})ly of grass, l-'or cooking we could tiiid no
20 /.\' Tiiinr Axn ciiixr.sr. rrRKEsr.w.
luel (.■xct.'[it clun^^ l)Ut this SL'iiiicil to provide I lie iiicaiis of luxury when wo contrasted our position with that of the cjreater portion (if the caravan, compelled to s])cii<l the nif^ht on the cokl, hare, and \vinds\vc]>t slope not far from the top of the pass.
As soon as the caravan could be collected we resumed our march to the Lanak La. On the west side of tlie pass we halted for a day to rest the sheep, and allow the animals to have a tj^ood feed after the very scanty grazing they had found in Chang C'heiniio.
In the night between the KUh and ITtli of -linic the thermometer fell to 8° Fahr. at an altitude of 17. 1')0 feet, or only 500 feet lower than the Lanak Tja, which was (piite free from snow when we crossed it on the Lsth.
This pass was an easy one, but as to the country beyond I now felt some anxiety. We knew that Bower, Dalgleish, Carey and De lihins, and possibly one or two other Europeans, had been over the ground, but the only maps we possessed were on too small a scale to be of mucli assistance. ]^>eyond the pass there was no track. Our predecessors had come and gone, but the country bore no evidence that any traveller had ever passed that way. I'ike had marvellous skill in finding tlie track of animals, but he could not discover a vestige of the visit of any human being.
After leaving Camp '2, Shum, the men who came with tlie hired transport from 1^'obrang professed ignorance of the route, so that I'ike and 1 had to guide the caravan through an unknown land. On the second day after crossing the frontier at the Lanak La we passed into a long, broad, and well-watered valley, to the east of which, we knew, lay Horj)a or (Tuninii Clio, but beyond this we had no definite knowledge of the ctjuntry.
My ])lan was to visit the north side of Horpa or Gurmen Cho, Captain J^ower having gone by the opposite
COM. ]//■:. \ L !■:.]/ /■\/ ()/■ TR/.WCC/.AT/iW. 2\
side, tlu'ii to li;ivi!l in iiii castrrly direction, avoiding' fjround which had heen visited by others, and to survey a tract of country on cither side of the line of march.
In order to wt a jjiood vahie for the lon<ritude of as many places as possil)U', I had connnenced, at Camp '6, trianffuhition from a veiy prominent snow pi'ak, desig- nated Mangtza Lake No. 1 Peak, which had been fixed by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, and tor the same purpose I now halted close to Horpa or Gurmen Cho.
The theory of determining longitude Ijy triangulation is simple enough, but the practical work is not always easy. Owing to my want of j)rovious training in the field. T found it dillicult to identify peaks seen from various ])ositions, and to remember the exact ]K)ints that had Imi II fiist observed in the peaks. The work was retarded also by the want of trained assistants.
For the accurate measurement of base lines and angles, it was necessary to erect pillars on prominent hill tops from which both ends of tlie base as well as the surroun<]ing country and other hill stations could be seen. But the men appointed to erect them preferred the slopes of the hills to the sunniiits, th.ough the suitable jMiint was often only a few hundred yards distant. Their [)ri>- ferencc could not in evi-ry case be d(>tected before 1 reached the spot ; consequently nmcli laixuii- had to be repeated, and the work was ri'udert'd unnei-essarily complicated.
Ascending the small valley which riuis into the north- east side of llorjta Cho. w<' crossed rising ground and entered a broad valKy, lioimdcd on ihc south by a rangt* of high mountains with iiroiinnciit snow peaks, most useful in surveying. < )n the north side of this valley weri^ comiiai'atively low mountains, none of them snow- capped, and through a gap. barely worthy of being desig-
22 IX rimrr .wn ciiixusn ri'RKiisi.w.
nutt'il ii pass, we i'ntt'rt'<l tlu' di-prcssioii in which lies the salt lake known as Yeshil Kul. Close to this gap were copious springs ol" good water and excellent grass, the place being evidently a favourite haunt of a few wild yak, one of which Pike bagged. While assisting to skin and cut u[) the carcase, not forgetting the marrow bones, which are far superior to those of any tame animal, 1 was much pressed by some of the caravan men to shoot another yak close by, apparently not in the least alarmed. We had already more meat than we could carry, and to prevent the wanton destruction of the animal by the Arguns I fired some shots close to him, and at length he galloped in safety over an adjacent ridge.
Not knowing that the Yeshil Kul was salt, and not finding any traces of other water in the neighbourhood, we camped as near to the south-east corner of tlie lake as the very soft, white, saline mud permitted. Being disappointed with the water we tried digging, but no success attended our efforts, and we had to fall back upon the limited supply in our water bottles. As luck would have it, 1 was unusually thirsty and fatigued that night. Next day I felt slack, and by the time we had settled to campclo.se to a few damp spots which betokened the presence of water I had not enough energy to take my share in the digging. I'lke was very energetic and persevering, but, much as I tried to assist him, I was absolutely unfit for work. As soon as the tents were pitched I retired to mine, to make use of a clinical thermometer, knowing that if my temperature was above normal, I might look out for squalls, but if not, I might rest assured that I was not seriously unwell. As my temperature proved to be about 104°, I thought it wise to betake myself to my bed, having made a note in my journal that " Fever Camp " would be by no means an inappropriate name for this exposed, bleak, and cheerless spot .
(•irvrTiiK II
Serious and lij^ht literature — Death of animals — Excursion of Leno — Bad water — Reco\erv — "Weakness — Continuing the journev — Observing under difficulties — Thousands of antelopes — Recon- noitring— Sickness — Barren and waterless country — Economising candles — Anotiier route decided upon — Lazy caravan men — Tame antelope — Deatli of Tike's pony — '* Daily " stream — Fertile valley — Difficulty of linding a ford — Aru Cho — Death of my riding pony — Illness of Sanman — Animals straying — Caravan men suspected — Robbed by Chukpas.
\ T the best, fever is disagreeable, and our bleak, -^-*- exposed position close to a salt lake, in a eouiitry almost desert and many miles from any iidial)itants, rendered it still more so. I had an aiii|ile stock ol' medicines, but oidy sul'fieii'nt knowled^^e ot their use to reco{i;nise that 1 knew very little about the lu-alin^ art. Pike's medical skill was less tiian mine, so 1 had to doctor myself. J^'or tlu! fh'st couple ot days 1 was doubtlul as to the malady that had attacked me, but. havin<; carefully consulted that excellent medical work for laymen. '" Moore's i"'amily Medicine for India," 1 diagnosed my case, and having, as I belii'ved, adopted the proper remedies. 1 was only too glad to do nothing except occasionally to see1\ relief from the languor of the fever in such light reading as our stores could supply, viz., " Whitaker's Almanac " and a six))enny encyclopa-dia. In consequence of exposure to very bad wi-ather some t)f
-M /y mil: I AM) CIIIXF.SE / ( I< K l:S'/\\ \.
the funivuii nan hccanu' unwell too, and lunl to be doctored, and six ponies and liassoula's line donkey died befcn-e we were able to depart from " Fever C;inip." l^urin^' the enforced halt, a waste of very precious time, Leno went otf on a short excursion tor topo<,fraphical Work, which he was able to check a little by the few latitu<les which he observed. It was very seldom that he had an opportunity of observinfj, as, unless my eyes weiv weak. I invariably did the astronomical work mysell. althou^di Leno was well trained and very accurate, and only found difficulty in ali,L,Miin<,f the theodolite correctly on to south stars, an operation commonly spoken of a> " picking' u]) " the stars. On the north side of Yeshil Kul. Leno noticed nunjerous ])illars of stones and of horns of yak. antelope, and sheep built up with mud. all close to<,'ethe)'. also several circles about a couple of miles in diameter, formed by ditches about one foot deep and four broad, not far from the jDillars. The Ladakis said that tlie Chun^fpas, or natives of the C'hanpf, built them as places of worship.
l''oi- some days after 1 was free from fever I was too weak to travel. Illness, especially when accompanied l)y a rise of temperature, has a far <,avater effect on the human system at these ^'reat altitudes than at moderate hei<,dits, and. according to my experience, convalescence is slow and attended with an abnormally low temperature. How long this lasts is not recorded in my journal, as I ceased to ascertain my temperature a few days after it was not uimsually high. There wei'e numerous storms of rain, hail, and sn(»w during the ten days of our stay near Yesliil Kul, a delay whicli caused very serious inroads into our supplies. It was with the very best spirits that we resumed our journey on the iHth of July, in an easterly direction along a fairly l)road valley in which we found plenty of grass and some small lakes, at least one of
o/>s/iA'r/\(; I \ /)/:/< niiiicri.iii-.s. 25
which was so iiiipivfrnatucl with soda as to be very un- pleasant to drink. On account of its disagreeable taste, the water of this lake is described on my map as " drink- able," l)ut only veiy thirsty p(>o])lc will swallow much of it.
h'or travellers on land, observation of the stars is far more accurate and more convenient in every way than that of the sun, and 1 never took solar observations unless compelled to do so. Hut in the liiuii winds of this region such nocturnal operations were tryin^^ for the temper. Partial protection could be arran<2[ed for the lantern bv which Leno recorded for me in the open aii\ but no surticient sheltei' could l)e devised for that which was employed to illuminate the wires of the theodolite. On several ni^dits it was i'e))eatedly blown out at the most important instants. .\t lirst 1 sheltered the llame bv tyin«^ rags round a })ortibn of the ventilator. These, however, excluded the wind too effectually, for, owing to (lie small :inn)unt of o.KVgen in the atmosphere at these altitudes, it is necessary to have ample space for the ir.gress and egress of the air. The re-lighting of tlie caiidle in such circumstances required j^atience. and invr.lved the e.xpendituic of many of the wax vestas whic-K had Ixmmi ])ut up into s[iecial tins lor us by Jiryant and May. The candles, necessary for the work of com- putation, wei'c nut tno pleiiiiful ; We kuew not wlu'ii our supply could be renewi'd, and wc had no mi'ans of burning oil in the lanterns. I therefore practised economy by nnanably pultnig out tln' lantcrn> the moment the instruments wi're packed away and tiie chrononu'ter watches com|>ari'd, and then going to bed ill the dark.
Soon after leaving " l''»vei- Camp." Pike and 1 had numerous discussions as to the best (hrection t<> take. Owing to an extensive snow-ran^e in the line wc wished
26 /.y riiinr .\\n ciiiMisn iiKKHsrAX.
to lolltiw. it \v:is iU'LH'ss;iiy lo diviT^M' tillicr ti» llu- iiniili or ti) tlu' south of it. We agreed ihat il' wi- shaped a southerly course we would prohably linii plenty of water, and that where there was water the all-iinportaut ^a'ass and hoortza would not he far distant ; whereas if we went into a somewhat hi<,d)er latitude and comparatively o[)en country with only low mountains, the cliances were that water and grass would he very scarce. Although fully recognising the wisdom of adii|»iing tlu- foiincr course, we eventually settled to venture on the latter, as it would lead us further away from l»ower's routi-. .Many pi'oplc atirihute to travellers in out-of-the-way countries a propensity to i-xaggerate. At ihf risk of incurring this imputation, 1 must refer to the encn'UKjus numhers of antelopes seen near Camps 1'.) and '20. For many miles in every direction except west, from Camp 19, in fact as far as the human eye aided by powerful l)inoculars could see, there were thousands of antelopes in large herds scattered ai)out irregularly wheicvci- there was plenty <jf grass. J must confess my inability to guess at the approximate numhers on the outskirts of the com})aratively level ground called on my map " .Vnte- l(jpe Plains," hut Pike, who had had experience in sheep- farming in America, was of opinion that at least 15,000 were seen.
About this time two of the caravan men became too ill to march, and, as there was only one unladen animal, I had to moimt Sonam on my riding pony and get along as best J could on foot. Though the marches were short, I was very tired before they were nearly finished, owing t(j weakness after fever, and I was exceedingly glad when it was time to halt and throw down my I'ille, ammunition, Held glasses, and water bottle. Xurdin, another Argun, was also on the sick list with inflamed eyes. His right eye was so very bad at Camp 10 tliat I put a bandage over
.S7( "A'.W: .V.S. 27
it in ordt-r to iiiakt! certain (jf his not usin<; it, wlnlu the h'ft eye was protected by p[o<,'«,'les from tl»e ^'reat j^larc which is nearly always experienced in Western Tibet, and probably in the remainder of the country as well. At least this was my [)lan. but he would not obey the strict orders he received ; and, much to my annoyance, arrived at the next camp without the slij^ditcst j)rotection for his eyes, the banda^'c and <;of.,'^des havin;^' been discarded very soon after my back was turned. I'^indin^ thai he wituld not carry out any orders I gave about his eyes, 1 was reluctantly oblifrcd to cease my efforts to cure them, and leave him to his own devices. ()! the two (Ulu'r invalids Sonani soon recovered sufficiently to be able to do without my pony, but unfortunately Sidik was found to be sutYer- ing from droi)sy, which soon provided an excuse for his doing but little work, and later on nothing at all, except weeping whenever 1 spoke to him. For a long time he was an outcast from the society of the caravan men, who considered him la/y and feigning illness to avoid doing his share of the work.
T^oon after getting abn-ast of the last largi' herd of ante- lopes we found ourselves in a barren country, and decided to pitch C'ami) 'Jo in :i ^in.iil ludlah containing good water, while Pike went on ahead to reconnoitre, and the animals were sent back to graze. I, being still below par, remained in camp, but two caravan men I\am/an, the bashi, and Islam — each on a nude, sallied foith in a dinn'tion some- what dilTerent from that taken by Tike. They had re- ceived strict oiders to keep a shar[) look-out for him. as well as for the all-important grass and water; but passed him comparatively close in the open without seeing him. b'ortunately he saw tlu-m. and bn)Uglit them back. X(HMlless to say aft(>r that proof of their defective vision they were never again sent out recon- noitring, and we ceased to place any reliance on reports
2S /.\' rillET AM) ClIlMiSh: TL'RKI-.S r.w.
concerning' the countiv l>\ any iiuiiilx r ol' llic canivaii except Leno.
Pike's reconnaissance reveak'il llic un|)leasant lad llial for many miles tliere was not a trati- ol' ve^'etali<»n, and in all probability water would not he met with in the very o[)en country east of Camp '20. Our animals were now in such wretched condition tiiat we would most likely have lost many of them in tryin«,' to peni'trate throu^di this unknown, barren, and waterless country, so we reluctantly decided to f,'o back one march and seek a feasible route in the direction we had previously thou^'ht of atlemptin<,'. To people who have not travelled in Tibet or other countries where an e(]ually clear atmosphere prevails, it is very hard to believe that, after a little experience, one can discern vegetation at a ^Meat distance. W itli the help of <,'ood field jL,'lasses it is possible, when ini a commandin*,' situation, to be almost certain of the prt-- sence or absence of vegetation, which in this part of Tibet takes (jiily the form of grass or boortza, at a distance of about twenty miles, and, under very favour- able conditions, nearly twenty-five mill's.
At the foot of the range south of ("ani|) 1*.) several very dark spots were noticed, which (in i-loser examination proved to he the outlets of some evil-smelling gas, pro- bably suli)huretted hydrogen. So powerful was the odour that in some instances our nasal organs were the first to inform us of the existence of these natural outlets, close to which tlu^ dt!ad bodies of some insects, and I think one or two l)irds, bore testimony to the poisoncjus nature of the gas. Though the leturn march to Camp 19 was only about ten miles, Kam/an pleaded excess of work for the caravan men as an excuse for not sending out for an ante- lope which I'tam Singh had shot near caiii]». but which he had not handled as he was a Hindu.
The caravan men were, in fact, so well fed without any
LA/V CIA'.} I '.IX .]//■:. \. 31
li(jul)lo to tlu'inselvt's tliiit they liiul bi-i-oinc too la/.y to i^o oven a short way to administer the coup dr t/race to any victim either of our rifles or of those of the Hindus.
Annoying as tliey were on this occasion, they were still more so on the next day when, instead ol" making,' an earlier start than usual, as ordered, the caiavan (Hd not set out till later than usual. Where oui' saddles or lifles were deposited at the end ol the luareh, there they knew our tents would he pitched ; and it was their husiness to prevent any of the mules or i)onies from approaching,', hut now they showed not the slightest inclination to keep the animals otif. Pike was so provoked that he addressed them in strong language, of which they complained to me; hut I told them the wimder was that he had not beaten tlniii.
The antelope in this neii^hliDuilidiid wt're exceedingly tame, and from the very calm and leisurely way in which two large herds that I met hetween Camps 'Jl and '22 sauntered away after ga/.ing long a (■oiij>le of hundred yards from nii', it was \iry evident that they were (juite unfamiliar \sitli liiniian heings. As we were plentifully supplied with fresh meat for all hands, we refrainvd frt)m slaughtering any of these unsuspicious beasts, who re- garded the caravan close by with evident curiosity. Though grass was in several plac(^s very abundant, water was exceedingly scarce ; but at one locality its pri'sence was in(hi-ated fiom afar by the existence (»f a large disused sheep-pen. W'e surndsed that men tend- ing the sheep must ha\c' llNcd for sonic time close by, and they could not have done so unless then" was water in the vicinity, h'ortunately our surmise was correct, as a snuill spring of excellent water existed almost alongside the abandoned sheep-jten, alTording a great contrast to the supply at our next camp, where the only water was that of a lake, so impregnated with soda, \c., as tt) be alnmst
32 /.\' TiiuiT Axn c///x/:sr. rrKKi-sr.ix.
uiulrinkuble. The view Innu I amp lA was most pictu- resque, the bhie waters of the hike a few hundred feet from our tents, on an upper terrace which had at one epocli been submerged, formed a strikiuf]^ contrast to the fine range of hif,di, snow-capped mountains on the southern side. No doubt in circumstances causing less anxiety the majestic nature of the landscape would have been properly appreciated, but then I could not I'xclude from my thoughts the facts that Pike was very unw^ell, that nearly all our animals were in very poor condition, that the men were not behaving well, and that we had no idea of when and where supplies and transport could be procured. On many of the hills near Camps '24 and 25 there are nmuerous lines, which looked like boundaries consisting of stones and small mounds, about one foot high, at regular intervals apart. The caravan men attri- buted these to Chukpas or robbers, who formerly had come to these parts to graze their flocks, and no doubt for })rofessional purposes also if opportunities occurred, but who were now debarred from coming by order of the authorities of Lhasa. There may be some truth in this statement, but it is not very apparent how the Lhasa officials can hold sway over professional robbers in this distant part of Tibet, unless the latter contribute regu- larly to the state exchequer, or the pockets of its high officials, which are no doubt the same thing.
We were now in a country with a profusion of excellent grass, but water was not so plentiful. At one camp at the west end of the long valley leading into the lake north of and close to Aru C'ho, the small stream by which we camped flowed only for a few hours daily, showing that the hot sun of a summer's day has only a very temporary effect on the glaciers at the western end of the snow range on the south side of the valley. Pike's riding pony, which had shown signs of weakness and
ni-.\7// O/- /'/K/i'S /'0\y. 33
in(';i))iifity for I'nrtlu'r woi-k, uIiIkhij^Ii '»>' "" incj^ns very cmariatiMl, died during the ni«;iit of tlic -J'^th of .hily amidst so niucli cxccllfnt iira/iiii; that poisonous j^rass was suspectc'd, especially as a mule died at the same place, ^fucli to my regret and, 1 may add. amioyaiice. iiotliinj^- would induce my companion to share my lidin.u l)ony whicli was at first continually offered to him, hut always refused. We had decided to march alon<.( the nortliern side of this valley on account of the grass which was more plentiful there than on the opposite hank, where numerous rivulets and springs rend(>red the ground too soft for the progress of the caravan. I'iiiding, how- ever, that our general direction was more northerly than was thought advisahle to follow, we resolved to cross to the south side. Our camp was close to a hroad stream, the volume of which was small, hut its soft and treacherous hottom proved a formidahle ohstacle, which we eventually negotiated successfully after nuich time had hcen spent in searching for a place sutticiently sound for the caravan to proceed with safety. Whilst some men were looking for a ford the majority went in search of thirty animals that had strayed so far during the night, that it was not until -V.'^O p.m. that tluy were brought hack to ramp.
When time is of no importance, and transjiort and supplies do not cause any anxiety, a retrograde movement is of but little consequence ; hut wlun supplies are limited and the bearers of them decidedly thin, it is of the utmost importance to economise both time and lahoui-. l-'or a short time after striking Ko\M'1-"s route at the north of .\ru C"ho, we seriously considered the advisability of following it for a few marches before deviating from a previousJN triKldcii idiite, foi- it cannot he designated a track, as not a xcstige of one was to he si'en. We considered that in all prol)ai)ility we would be abli' to travel east bv that route for at least some nuirches without
.u /.y 7v/>/r/' j.w) cn/xF.sn tcrkf.stax.
iiiiicli l)(>tlu'i', l)iit, s(i ^rcjit \\;is tlu' l';isciiiali< )ii ol ahso- lutt'ly uiiknoNVu countrv, tliat we elected to disciiid a practical certainty and trust to Providence in advancin^^ furtlier east over vii'^iii f^fround. Even now 1 liail not completely recovered from the effects of the illness at "Fever Camp," and it is to iliis weakness that I must ascribe the disinclination to measure a suitable base soon after completinfj tlie daily march. It was now the turn of my riding pony to give in. While being ofi-saddled at Camp 27 he fell down ; tiie ne.xt morning he again temporarily collapsed ; subsequently he was able to pro- ceed for a few miles without any greater weight than a saddle on his back, but then he finally succumbed.
Striking contrasts in scenery are by no means un- connnon in Til)et, as for instance, in the country around Aru Cho. On the western side of this lake, which we ascertained to be of a different size from that marked on the latest map of Tibet, there is a fine range of snow-clad mountains extending beyond the northern and southern shores of the lake, but on the eastern side there are only comparatively low mountains, none of which exceed 19,500 feet in altitude. Not far from the foot of the snow range in the south-west corner of Am Cho there is an unusually large supply of wild rhubarb, which, though inferior to the cultivated kind, was not despised by us. The quality of the grass in this neighbourhood is infinitely superior to that of the coarse and very sharp kind, called "lungma" by Ladakis, previously encountered. Here a small, soft, fine grass, known to the Arguns as " peelee," largely preponderated, iinicii to the benefit of our impoverished animals, who greatly appreciated this more nutritive food.
Once more inability to estimate distance correctly was brought home to us. W'licn leaving Camp 20, we fully expected to pitch oui" next cani|> on tlie oljici- side of a
I/.L.\/-SS (>/■" .s'.i.\'.I/J.\'. 35
very eiisy pass lyin^' sliglitly east of soutli, but by the time we had crossed a larf^^e and very rapid river coming from the snow range wliich i-uns. roughly speaking, parallel to Aru C'ho and on its western side, we were obliged to abandon the project and camp in a very small but well-sheltered valley, in whicli there was just sufficient water to supply the wants of men and animals. This lovely, clear water was in delightful contrast to the muddy torrent which had to be crossed before we reached the secluded site for camp. Xo I'iding j^ony being ii\;iil- able either for I'ike or myself, the only one left being allotted to Leno on account of his work, we had to get across on Shank's mare. I foolishly took off my boots and crossed barefooted, but very soon regretted having done so. Either on account of unusually tender feet or exceptionally sharp stones, my sensations in fording that brook cannot be truthfully described as the height of enjoyment. Sanman must have experienced still more discomfort as, when in mid-stream, he stumlilcd in such a manner as to be thoroughly iiiuiierscd, an unpleasant co)itretemp!i of which he saiil iioilnng until he became unwell. Even then he would nol report himself sick, and but for Leno, who informed me that Sanman- was off his food, neither Pike nor I would have been the wiser. The annoyance of having another case of illnass in our party was not diminished by the following dialogue : —
" Well, Sanman, what is the nuitter with you?"
"Oh, Sahib, 1 am shivering and very cold."
" \\ hat has lia[)[»ene(l to you? ""
" I fell into the river to-day."
" \\'hv did you not ebauLit' \dnr elotlits ms soon as camp was pitched ? "
"I had too much woik lo ilo; the sahii>> uoiild not givt' me time to change."
v- /v riiir.r .\\n ciiixr.si-: /CKKr.sr.w.
" Vttii son (if ;iii owl. wliiit iiiadf you fall into tlir liver".' ■■
N'o I'fply.
■■ W'liy tlic . . . (lid you iiol tell the saliilis that your clotlit's wevv wet "'
No reply.
l"'iii(]iiif,f his tciiipcratuic JO'J'.V'and fiirlli( r (|Uf^t ionium useless, 1 iidiuinistcrt'd u suitable dru^ and i(,'tired to my tiMit with the heartlVlt re<j[ri^t that such a spoilt child was a iiieuiher of the caravan. Neither I'ike nor I had had any idea of Sannian's encounter with the bottom of the river, and. as his clothes l)ore no visil)le traces of the wettin;^, he had been detailed soon after camp was ])itcdied to put some botanical specimens into the press, an operation whicdi could easily have been postponed if he had only informed us of his accident. IMie next niornini^f Sanman was somewhat better, but in a short time his ti-mperature rose to nearly 104", so we decided to halt for tlie day. One day's halt bein/j; as much as we considered advisable, om- advance was resumed next day, althou<,di the sick man's temperature was 102° before we started and rose '2i° by the time the march was concluded. A second very precious day had to be spent in inactivity, but towards evening Sanman showed signs of iiuprove- ment. Another annoying episode was the straying of many of the animals from the vicinity of Camp 81, in- volving' the loss of another day whilst most of the men went in search of the missing steeds. By the next morning the eleven best mules and ponies were still missing, a condition of things which we erroneously ascribed to the desire of the caravan men to retard our advance. Having left liamzan and two men to look for the mules, we went on with as much baggage as could be carried, and camped on the other side of a low pass to the south of the lake close to Camp 'M . lK)pinrr that this
/<o/!/;i-:n /.')' ci/CKrAS. 37
plan would act as an iiut inivi' to Kam/.an and his two companions to recover the nndes speedily. J^urin«,' this march we followed for most of the way a freshly used iniil. hut whether ponies or kyan^^ had last used it we tduld not he certain, nor were the caravan men al)le to enli^diten us owin^' to the common helief that the natives of this country could not atf;ird the luxury of Nhocs for their ponies.
We were not left lon^^ in douht of liic })resence of inhahitants, for, early in the nioi-iiin^f of the second day after we had left Camp ."M, Xurdin arrived with the news {hat the day after our departure a few Chukpas had suddenly visited camp, and having seized and bound the two men, had looted the baggage. Fortunately, photo- graphic films, packed in hermetically sealed tins con- taiinng half a gross each, were not considered of nuich value, matches, rice, and suttoo Ix'ing iiioic [iri/.cij by the ('liuk[)as. I have but little doul)t that the guards left behind wi're far too frightened when the robbers appeared to offer any resistance, for only two \isitoi-s were seen ami no mention was made of any attemi)t on tlu- part of Uamzan or Xurdin to protect the baggage. As there was still no news of the eleven mules, we now very luiturally considered that tlic ("liukpas were in possession of them. and wi' promptly held a council ot war to settle tlie best plan of operations to regain the footl stolen from camp as well as the niucli piM/eil and indi>|Miisable beasts of burden. As tiie nnssing animals were undoubtedly the best wi' had and fice from sores, it was considered far more likely that they had been stolen than that tlu\ had strayi'd, notwithstanding their well-known propensitx to stray even when ni the midst of 'jood 'jra/inL:.
c'ii.\i''i'i;i; III
Council of Wiir I'lan of opcnitious— Skill and i)luck of I'ike — Cliangfunchuk — Chukpas completely surprised — Anxiety about Pike — Searching for missing Animals— Burning surplus Baggage — Our Situation — Serious Outlook — "Caching" Stores — Making Clothes out of Tents — Illness of Pike- Anxiety about Water — Waterless Cami) — Meeting witli Noiuads — They refuse to help us — Shown the w roiig direction -Lost in the Desert
V S tliciv was ividentl}- an enemy hanging about in •^"^ this neighbourhood, we held a council to concert nieasiires for the recovery of supplies and transport. Though the general disposition of (jur company was not warlike, we came iiiiiiiiiiiiously to the decision that the C'liuk])as must be fi)iui(l and compelled to make restitu- tion. I'ikf and 1 had revolvers, and in the camp there were eight magazine i-arbines and a shot gun. but, l)esides ourselves, the only men capable of using these weapons were Leno, Sanman. L'tam Singh (a Sikh), C'hangfimchuk (an Argim), and Dass (the Hindu cook), * ' who had courage enough for the discharge of the shot gun but was incapable oi using it with the necessary deli Iteration. So far as fighting was concerned, it mattered little that a considerable number of our men were absent, looking for the lost nmles. Pike undertook the search for the marauders and chose as his companions
l'tam Singh, a man wlio could be I'elied on, and Chau'duncliuk. who was a good slujt. To niy lot fell
PLAX OF O/'HRATIOXS. 39
tlie duty of n'liiiiinin^r in cuiiip for the defence of the property which still remained to us. At Camp 81 we had left some bagf(age, and. lor the recovery of this, Leno, Ramzan, Sannian, and two caravan men with sixteen animals set out to accompany Pike as far as our old (piarters. There was some ^a"ound for thinking tliat our movements were being watched by the ("hukpas, who, not improbably, would make another inroad when our number was reduced. 1 did not wish any such intention on their part to be frustrated, and as the route between the two camps was not dithcult, I instructed Leno not to return till after dark. The fighting strength remaining with me was thus reduced to Tara Singh (an old Sikh . and iJass, the Hindu cook. I next ordered look-out sentries to take up a position close t(j the camp. N\here the mules and [)onies lia<i been lied up. and sent out two men. one to keep the loose ponies from straying and to bring them back in the evening, the other to look after the sheep. These two men performed their work satis- factorily, but the sentry on duty al night c(.»uld not keep awake. About half-past two in tli<- morning 1 strolled round to sff bow things looked, nnd tin(hng tbat the tied-up nudes and jionics bad been allowed to brt ak loose, I had to (h'spalcli other iin 11 in search of the animals, and to undertake in person the work of sentry.
.\t da\hi'c;ik 1 \sas rflicvcil iVnni my post b\ 'i'ara Smgli, whom 1 stationed on a neighbouring hill, wlifiiee III' could see our camp and also the track to ("am[) -U. The ojil man's head. h)rnuily black, had recently assumed its natural grey colour, being di'[)rived of llu' dye which bad suppliiMl the lustre of youth. Having some ho[)e of a visit from the Cliukpas, I ordered all the men i-xcept the sentry, the shepherd, aiul the man with the loose ponii's, to ri'main in tlu-ir tents, but my hoiie was disappointed, and in thf afternoon Tara Singh announced
40 /.\' /7/.7-;/ ./.\7' (///.\'/:s/-: /ta'AV-.s/'./a".
ilial In- >ii\\ rilMiiii ilir way l);u-l\ lo ramp. 1 liiislfiu'd to meet him, iiml scion learnccl the result ol" his expedition. After ascertainin;^ that the Chukpas had ittiiiiicd to Camp .'U and taken moi\' (»!' our supphes. lie had [lUshed on rapidly. h)llo\vin^' their track, till he eame in sif^dit ol their tents. Then he rei-onnoitred the position, and hivouaeked for the ni;,dit in a small nullah, where he would e.scape observation. Next morninj,', before day- lijjjht, he proceeded to pay a surprise visit to the Chukpas. On the way there was a stream to be forded, and I'tam Sin<,di without liesitation leapt with him into the ice-cold water and waded across. Cliangfimchuk, however, was deliberate in his proceedings, waited on the bank, took oil' his boots, and then crossed at his leisure, so that, in spite of emphatic remonstrances by Pike, he secured a position well in the rear and free from innnediate risk. J^y the time it was daylight they had reached the Chukpas camp and found that the inmates were on the move. The approach had i)een accomplished so stealthily that the Chukpas were (juite unsuspicious, and when one of them stepped out of his tent and found I'ike standing at only a coujile of yards' distance, presenting a revolver at his head, he stared in sinprise and then ran oil". Ileic were found the rice, suttoo, and other provisions of which we hatl been robbed, but there was no sign of tin; lost nudes. ( )ther Chukpa tents were standing not far off. and it seemed exjiedient to retin- at once with the recovered stores. I'ike tlnnight it prudent als<j to deprive the owner of the tent of arms and annnunition. and, as security for the mules which were not recovered, he seized two fine ponies. Some may be inclined to inty the poor ncjmads and to condemn Pike's proceedings as harsh, but it has to l)e considered that we were entirely dependent on our supplies for our life, and that beasts of burden were indis- pensable for transport. Successful robbery perpetrated on
/u'KX/xc SI /</'/. cs /;.{(;(:. Id/-:
4'
iiii'ii in llu'Sf ciivumsiiiiH-es is little bt-ttcr lliiiii luunK'r, iind it was uiuloiihti'illy our duty to protect ourselves ;iinl those dependent on u>.
We lin<^ered in the nei;,'lii)ouihoo(l lor seveiiil <lays search iiij,f for the missing' animals, hut without succt'ss. They had evidently heeii taken far heyoud our reach, and, as it was inqjossihle to carry all our lu^'^M^'e without them, we hail to considrf uli;if cduld be abandoned with
IllllMMi Tin: IIKIITIION IIOAI.
least risk to our>el\t>. ( >l' the nndes still Kit. four dii'ti at this place, so that we hail many pai-k-saddles and jhools which Were now clearly superlltious. 'I'lu- beaulifid lierthoii boat which, with much trouble, we hiid brou^dil thus far was not indisjuMisable ; there were canip beds and chairs which, m ilif circumstances, we I'ondenmed as luxuiics. and alto;,M'ther a cousideraiile ri'duction id the weight to be carried was found piacticable. r>ut.
4-^ /.y TiiuiT Axn cnixEsii tcrkhst.w.
though Wf wtTe dhHgeil lo iihiindoii these things, we were by no means disposed to make them over to the Chukpas, to whose malpractices the necessity lor parting with tliem was hirgely due. A\e therefore regret- fully consigned them t(^ destruction. Whatever would i)urn we reduced to ashes, and of the costly pile soon nothing remained l>ul unattached metal fittings and half- consiuued leather.
During the twelve days we were compelled to remain at camp I carried out some geodetic measurements, and Leno, besides assisting me, executed nmch useful topo- graphic work. To my regret, it was impossible during this period to ol)tain our longitude from observations of the moon and stars culminating near it. For a time the moon was too young, and, when it became sufficiently mature, clouds intervened, so that my iiiviiininary conjputati(jns and prejtaralioii for transit work were useless.
Though it was now the middle of August, snow fell frequently, and sometimes the ground was white till noon.
Our circumstances, on the whole, were depressing, and We were glad when any incitleiil occurred tending to restore the cheerfulness of the company. There wciv antelopes in considerable numbers near the camp, and we easily obtained fresh meat. |)uring most of the lime the animals killed were perfectly lean, but at length a fat tjne was brought in. and at 1 'ike's suggestion liassoula set about the construction of an apple dumpling. Indian cooks love spices, wdiile Ladaki c(joks, undei* the influence of Turcoman taste, dispense onions witli a liberal hand. The preparation set before us by Rassoula in the guise of apple dumpling consisted in fact of a mixture of onions and apples with a superabundance of spices ; but hungry travellers are not over-critical, and we enjoyed the dump-
s/-:aw<u's octlook. 43
Iin^^ Our usuul drink was tea, l)iit on one evening 'and only one) we had recourse to hot toddy, the chief ingredient 111 wliich was rum.
We knew our latitude and k)n<,ntude, and coukl })oint out on the map tlie spot occupied hy our camp, l>ut at that place the map was a hlank, and none of the men had any knowledge of nur wlicnalxnits. The important ques- tion to he decided was wliethei- we should retrace our steps, or move onwards through the unknown land. We carefully examined llu' remaining transj)orl animals, ami came to the conclusion that few or none of them would he ahle to cany loatls as far as Fol)rang. If we pushed on, what direction should we take, or where was there a [>racticahle route? The country was mountainous and difficult, and even in tin; valleys water and grass were not always to he found. Our general })urpose was to proceed eastwards, hut after full consideration we decided to go towards the south-east and, where that course was impossihle, to turn to tlu' south ratlu-r than to the east. On August "ilst we resumed our joui'iicy. l>ining llif niglit heavy rain and then snow had fallen, ami in the morning the tents were fro/en into such an unmanage- ahle condition that we had to postpone our dei)arture till afternoon when they were fairly dry.
We clind)ed thi' inevitahle [)ass, and found on the other side a well-marked track leading down an easy slope into a narrow valley. We had hi-en compelled to leave helnnd us several loads, and, therefore, sending hai-k for these, we cami)ed at the first spot where we found water i('ami) .■<.H). There we oviiliauled oiir luggage for the second tinu' with a view to its diminution. There were tinned foods unostly products of the P)ovril Company), sufierfluous horse-shoes, nails, \-c., and two tents which had to lie got rid of. '{'he caravan men were told they might take such of these things as they chose, hut nmst eat promptiv
4-^ /y 77/''/-: /• ./.\7> ( /fix/isr: rr/<Ki:sT.\\.
\vli;iU'\fi- i';U;ii)lrs tlicy look, and carry oil their pt-rsons whutt'ver not eatable tlioy wislied. Thing's not disposed of in this way (mostly liiiiicil foods} were packed in super- Huous yak dans and depusittd in a cache dn^' on a dry site within an old sheep-pen, about ^ioO yards south by west from Camp 'A'A. They were piled in a square heaj) and covered with a thick roof of earth and stones, which niif^dit serve for a protection against wild animals and possibly also for a landmark to other travellers, 'riie two tents were given to the caravan men. At Lrh iliese men had received an allowance for the purchase of clothes f(^)r the journey, but in most cases the money had been spent for other purposes. Ladaki caravan men have strong confidence in Ki.snicf, or fate, and in the saliib whom they serve, exi)ecting him at all times and in all circumstances to provide them with food and raiment. In Tibet warm clothing is absolutely necessary, and the men who, before starting, had, in reply to my inquiries, saitl they were "well provided," or '"no nuitter," now eagerly scrand)led for the tent canvas to mend their (hlapidatcd gai'ments.
Jvesuming (jur march, we followed the continuation of the track wliidi we had found in descending lr(i]ii the l)ass, and hoped that it would lead to sonje native encanij)- ment. This hope was disappointed, foi-, after a fewmili-s, the track became invisible. I'nrtli( r search revealed many smaller tiacks. rumiing in different directions and in- dicating, ai)parently, not tlie i)ath of human beings, but (jf kyang. We saw abundance of excellent grass, but no water except that of a lake which, lymg out of our route, was more than a day's march (hstant, and, for all we knew, might be salt oi' otherwise unth'inkable. After having failed to obtain water by (hgging, I walked to the top of a low ridge about a mile distant, and saw a pool not far oli". Before it was quite dark the caravan was
//J..\7-:Ss /)/• /'/A7:". 45
iil)le to reach the s[)(>l, where vvr ohtaiiUMl watrc in ahund- jince, l)ut not ol' very i^^ood (juahty.
Pike was now very unwell and weak, lie had |)erf?e- vered in the march throii^di sheer determination, and, when lie I'erjained the eampin",^ ground, sank utterly exhausted. A little rum, undiluted, proved an excellent restorative. The scarcity of watei- in this re^non seemed remarkahle, for there' was ai)undance of ^M'ass for miles ai"ound. The <,'rass was mostly of tlu^ peelee sort, in wiui-Ji m\y transport aniniaU hixiUMatcd. and iJani/an petitioned for a days rest on their account. This request was readily f;;rantcd. hut chielly on account of Pike's illness. This day's rest ]>rovi(led the caiiuan men with an opportunity of nii.winL; ni- re])airinfj their apparel with tile tent cloth, while 1 went out to reconnoitre, b'rom a commanding' hill-top, about seven miles distant, I could see grass in all directions, hut the oidy water visible was at a spot far olT and well to the west of south. It seemed to helon^f to a river, rimninj^' in a wide valley whose direction, like that of most of the main valleys, lay east and west. P)Ut the rivei- coinse, the further east it was followed by the eye, became fainter and fainter, as if a ])orous bed absorbed the water. WC were unwillinf* to tui'ii westwards, and settled that we should strike the channel several miles below the ])oint where the water was seen, ^^'atel• mi^dil he found by digging, but, lest this hope should fail lis, the nun were advised to drink copiously and to till their bottles before starting. Pike. stUl wi'ak, set out early, so as to get over as nnich ground as possible bi'fore the heat of the day. \\ hen I overtook him, he had reconsidered our plan, and was now strongly in favour of changing our diri'ction. This we did, and, towards evening, camped iCanip 3")) at the foot of some outlying hills on the north side of the broad valley I had seen the dav before. Xo water could be found near the
^r, /.\' iiiii-.r Axn ciiixesi-. rrRKi-.siAX.
place, and the wak-r at ('aiii[i -W had })r()ved to be so stroiii,dy inipir^nated with sochi that all the men. except Leno, arrived not only thirsty hut wiili ciiijtty water l)ottles. l''r(^in a iU'i<j^hl)onriii^' hill we saw a lar<i;e hei-d of yak several miles off, and it seemed therefore probable that water was within reach. Dass and two of the caravan men, thinking they saw water at the foot of the mountains on the north side of the valley, set out for a supply willi all the empty bottles. It was now late, but there was clear moonlight duiing the greater part of the night, and the conformation of the hills supplied un- mistakable landmarks. It was not till noon next day that the tlu'ce returned, iind they canic fi-oiu the (piarter opposite to that towards which they had set out. They had oidy been' partially successful, and had been able to (ill very few of the bottles. Fi'om the highest hill-to]) near tlic c-;iiii|) 1 cncfully examined the country in tlic direction where the yaks had been seen, and discovo-ed some tents at a distance of a few miles, l^eing in doubt whether the owners of the tents were harmless nomads or professional rohbers, we thought it would be imprudent to he quite defenceless in visiting them, and tlu'refore three or four of oui- nund)er were ])rovide(l with arms. Our approach evidently caused much alarm, and the nomads, hastily collecting tbeii- large flocks, drove them away. The encampment itself, however, consisting of about seven wretched tents, was left standing, and the occupants received us in the calmest manner.
One man, who was making a numnah clo.se to the springs, occasionally glanct'd u}) at us, l)ut never stopped working. Having quenched our tlnrst with the excellent spring water, we gradually introduced the topic of guides and transports. Tlie progress of negotiations was slow, l)ut at length one man seemed disposed to sell us a yak, while another was willing, for the modest sum of two
Mlil-.riXC. W I'll I XOMAPS. 47
liundi-ed rupet^s, to jl^ukIi' us to tlie nearest lar<,'e eii- cainpinent. This otter was, however, refused. ]-}el'oi-e the bar^faiuin^- for tlie yak was conehided, the chief of the nomads appeared and not only forbade the sale, but commanded that no sort of help should be given us. He said, truly enough, that it was against the laws and customs to permit strangers to enter the country, and that he and his people would be severely punished if they supplied guides or transport. This obstructionist was obdurate, and would accept neither payiiuiit ikm- presents, nor even listen to our proposals. He said that the Deva Zung, the official head at Lhasa, was a god, and would certainly know of any transaction between him and strangers. No doubt one cause of his determination was distrust of the men in his own neighbourhood. Tibetans have little confidence in their countrymen, and this chief would not run the risk of being denounced as a receiver of bribes, and subjected to the severities infhct(Ml on such delinquents.
So far as the possession of coin is concerned, these nomads are exceedingly poor, and, indeed, in the ordi- nary course of things, have seldom occasion to use money. They are in a cc^idition similar to that of the inhabitants of the Caucasus, whom 1 obseived, when travelling through that country in isy.S, to have no ade(]uate notion of the value of money. . Still, the Tibetans re- quire arms and annnunition as wi'll as barley and othci- supplies from India and Ladak, and tlu^ means of pur- chasing these things ai'c pi-ovidcil mainly by the sale of wool and salt, the chicr iiriKhicts of \\"(■^t('|•n Tibet. The use of money is thus known among them, but yet the offer of sums which nuist have appealed lar^e. scarcely tcmpiid ilicm in nm the slightest risk.
It was not easy to maki- out whether tlu> stolid manner of these men was due to the affectation of indifference
4S /.\' riiii-.r Axn ciiixese rrRKF.sr.w.
c-oimuonly practist'd hv Asiatics, or iiu'ivly to iiitcllcftual sta^Miation. Notliin^' could surprise them. Ai-ins were of importance to tlicni and tlicv had nevci' before seen a nia',M/ine carbine, but our carbines excited no interest nor curiosity. A fine bhie rock pipfeon havinj^' ab<,dited to rest and drink at a spot within ran^je, Pike took the opjiortunity of showinj^ the jnccision of liis wea))on. and slidt tlie pi.m'dii. but not one of the Tibetans evinced
TIIK AnilOlt KKlKIVINd TlllKTAN VISITOUS.
the slightest concern in any way. Our ne^^otiations foi- f(uides and transport were quite ai)ortive, but Kanizan induced three of the nomads to return with us to our camp. Hopiuf,' to obtain some advantage from these visitors, we enjoined Kamzan to see that they were liospitably entertained.
The three were fed. and were supplied with the weed honoured by Ladakis with the name of tobacco, but they
.S7/(Mr.\' /■///: //7v'().\7; /)/A'/:('77(lV
49
Would ii^'ivc to noiii; of our [nopusuls. and all \sf could obtain was a jiroinisc that sonu' of tlicin would irtuni next nioiiiiii;,'. W'c i'eco<,'nised that we had luadt; a niistaUr in \isitin;^ the nomads instead of scnchn^' Kani/an and a few Ladakis, who woidd have hi-m ahk' lo allay suspicion. W'c ,mit ncithci' ^aiidcs nor transports, hut had to I'ontcnt ourselves with inl'orniation concerning' llu' Ijest route to the larL,^' eneanipnuMit at (ier;j;e. \'\)V the Sinn of tiw ruiiees, paid hy ni\ own hand, one of the nomads [lointitl out to Leno and Jtam/aii the general direction which, he said, sliould he taken. This, as it was subsequently pointed out to nie hy J^eiio from a nei^'hboiirin^' hill-top, was hy no means in accordance with my, ideas of the best natural line to follow. Init the Tibetan alle^'ed that l)y this route alone water would he foumh
On the morning' oi the tlnrd day from our arrival here, we resumed (»ur journey. Pike started early and. several hours afterwards, when the mules and ponies had returned from watei'in;^ at the nomad cam[) and Kam/an had reported all present. 1 set out alone. Cioini,' in a straij^ht line to strike the route which had been pointed out tome, 1 reached, in about li\c hours, a pool of nniddy water which 1 sup[)osed indicated the spot intended i>\ the Tibetan for our campin^^-^jrouiid. .\fler a li^^ht repast of bread and meat with miiddv water. 1 set dut to climb the adjacent mountain, hojim^^ to obtain a ;;ood view from the top: but here the ))ros[)ect was interrupted by other hills, and it was not till 1 had climbed another and then a thinl sunnnit that I could survey the re«,Mon. Throuj^di the clear mountain air I could see in the far distance kyan*^ and antelopes, but neither near nor far off was ther(> any sij^ns of muli's or [)onies. Water, as 1 understood, could hi* h»und only on the pnnu-r route. There was abumlauce of water at the spot where 1 had
50 /.\' ///./:/ J.\/' Lii/XF.Sr. TCRKI-STAX.
halteil. iiiul I i-niild Hot suj)])()sr lliut 1 Inid tiikcii llic wroiij,' coursi'. I tilled my bottk' I'rom tlif pool and started to look for the caravan. It seemed most pro- bable that it was moving aloii^^ a m-i^dihoiniii^' valley which 1 hopetl to cross before dayli^dit failed. I pushed on, but c(nUd see no living' thing except kyang, which inquisitively circled about me, and before I had gained the near side of tlu' valley, darkness overtook me. The place was bleak and barren, producing not even the familiar boortza. which would have served at least for fuel. 1 had no food, and no drink but nuiddy water: I could light no lire for warmth or for signal, and in these circumstances I had to face the unpleasant fact that I was lost.
ciiAi'Ti:!; IV
Lost ill the (U'scrt — Found In I'iku - Siuldcii endiiig of a rivor — Kccounoitring — Kiituriiig iiihabiti-d country — Gorge — Xegotia- tioMs witli Tibt'trtiis--In<|ui8itivc — Medicine useless — ^ Kneniy strongly reinforced No assistance obtainaMe — We decide to start at all costs -Expected tight IVaceful departure False news— lierclie — Arranging for transport — Natives willing to assist us Fear of severe punishments — ("ompelled to return to Ladak — I'eparture from (ii-rclic- Alternative routes -J)irticultyof survey- ing Scarcity of grass and water Dreadful sore backs — Treat- ment of woiMitls— Uecurd ( )\ is Amnnm liead.
"jX rV tirst tliiiii^lil Wiis to sL'C'k [)i-(>t('t.-tioii i'ntin ilu' i-cild ■^^^ wind in soiur ilry walcr-courso, wIutc 1 mi^'ht sleep till the moon rose; but this purpose had to he ;il);uidoned oNviii;,' to the lowness of tht- temperature, whieh ehillcd me iiiul kept iin- ;i\\:ikc. hi the eoiirse of Dur journey we hiid reeently descended iihout 1,000 feet, and as the air at the lower level was of course nuieh warmer than at the j^'reater altitude, I had temporarily discarded a ^'ood deal of my woollen underclothin<,', and had even laid aside inv ;,'loves. Consequently I was exceedin«j^ly sensitivi' to the cold ni^'ht air, and, io prevent complete sta^Miation of tlu' hlo(»d, was ol)li;;ed to keep nii»vin<,' on. l'\'elinf^ hun^'ry, I ti^ditt'ncd my belt and then wandered on in tlu' dark up the valley. I shouted often, and now and then tireil a shot in the hope of ;ittr;i<liiiL; attention, hut echoes were the only reply. Afti'r some hours the moon rose and I had snlVicitut li«:ht to search for the track of the caravan.
5 J /.\' TiniiT A\D C7//.\7:S/': 7 CA'/\/-S /\l X.
I ascended to the narrowest part ol' the valley, crossed and re-crossed it, and made a minute examination, but there was no indication tliat the caravan had been there. This was exceediii^^iy disa|i[>(iiiiliii,L;, and made it necessary to change my course. I was now tired, somewliat footsore, and very hungry, but. to avoid frostbite and other evils, 1 was obliged to continue my I'xei'tions. 1 liad then, as always, the chronometer watches in my belt, but 1 lUNcr carried a compass lest it should affect the watches. 1 bad •therefore to guide my course by the stars, l)nt, as the night was clear, 1 had no dit'tieulty in making Mire of my direction. My only physical comfort was the water- bottle ; its contents were nuuldy, l)ut to a parched mouth an occasional sip was refreshing. 1 felt thankful to Providence that my fellow-traveller. Pike, was a iiian worthy of absolute conlidence, whom J knt'w Jiotlnng Would induce to leave the neighbourhood till I was found. This assurance kept u[) my spirits, and \ sought a short- cut over the hills to the point from which I had started at dusk. The mocMi was often hidden behind mountains, then it disappeared altogether; the way was dark and rough, but I stumbled on, generally only half-erect, some- times falling over stones or sudden ineciualities of the grounch Occasionally I bad to rest for a fewmimites, but the cold wind chilled jue to the marrow. The mininnnn temperature registered at the camp on tbat night (August '28th) was '22° F., a temperature low enough to cause keen discomfort to one thinly clad, hungry, and facing a stiff mountain breeze. I have often, in other circumstances, watched for daybreak, and w^elcomed the rising sun, but never before with such anxiety as on that morning. In the grey dawn 1 reached the spot whence I had set out to search for the caravan, and, resting a few minutes, I looked down the broad valley and thought I could discern through the morning haze the smoke of our camp-fire. In
f.osT /x riir. niisi'.RT. 5.^,
this case the wish niiglit rasily l)i' laUiLT lo ilic tliou^Mit. but, as I gazed more intently, the vapour partially dis- persed, and I was certain that the appearance of smoke was no illusion. The distance, however, was several miles, and, as I was weak through fatigue and hunger, T had frequently to halt. The tall column, rising vertically from the camp-fire through the peaceful morning air, was full of interest, suggesting food and rest and every com- fort. As I plodded on, my eyes were fixed upon it, and so absorbed was T in its contemplation tViat it was almost a surprise when, about lialf-past eight, I saw V\Vo and one of the caravan men on mules close beside mc. Tlu'V had brought, among other supplies, the favourite restorative, a mixture of rum and water. This proved highly bene- ficial and I remarked tliat, for one in my wcakeiicd condition, tli(> ])ro])ortiori of spirit was judicious, and di<l not err on the side of too much, to which Pike laughingly retorted that even in my weakened condition 1 liki>d my li(luor strong, for the bottle had contained more i-uiii than water. Having had a hearty hreakfast of cold meat and biscuits, 1 climbed the mule that Pike had ridden and, with feelings of relief and general goodwill, rode back towards camp. About eleven o'clock we approached the caravan, where most of the men were seated round the fire. They eame streaiiiiiiL; out, salaaming to nie and expressing tlieir hojx's that I had not suffered uiueh from spending a night in the open air. Towards them, how- ever, my gratitude was not ov(>rtlo\ving ; 1 re]ilied that my absence seemed to lia\c caused them no anxiety, ainl thai they evidently cared nothing for their sahih so long as they were supplied witli food and other cond'orts.
1 at once agreed to lake's suggestion that we sh(»uld halt for the day. and soon I was soimd asleep on Nature's couch, th(^ groimd. The har(^ ground, if hiirl\ dry and moderat(dy free from stones, provides an adnnraide
54 /.v 77/;/: T ./.w) r///.\7:'.s7-; rr/a</-:sT.\x.
slet'i)iii^'-pl;u-i'. iuid, alter foiisidt'riihlt' cxpcrit'n'jr in various j)arts of tlir woild. I have no synii>atliy with tliiist' wlio rt'j,Mr(l as a liaidsliip tlic iicccssity lof this use of mother eai'th. 'PraveUers should ui>t put thciusclves to needless ineonvenii'nce. Captain ^ Dun^diushand {^ives fjood advice when lie says, "Travel as comfortably as circumstances will permit," and comforts should, when possible, be extended to the sul)ordinate inend)('rs of the caravan. liut often the inconveniencr of unwieldy bafTtra^^e far outweit,'hs the benefit which tlie eund»rous articles can f,dve. and the luxuries which can most easily b<- dispensed with are such thing's as camp-beds, chairs and tables.
'i'he river beside which we had camped was the l)amtan<,f Tjunf,'pa. Near Camp 3") it had sunk sn fai" into the gfround tbat the water could not be reached. i»ut here it had a fairly broad channel and we had no anxiety on the score of water. As we proceeded alontr its rifjjht bank, we passed numerous disused workinf^s (probably for fjold) all very close together, and many of them com- municating with each other. The openings were ver}^ small, varying from about two and a half to four feet, and the depth of the deepest shafts was about or (at least in one case) rather more than twenty feet. Hares were plentiful at this place, and from the general a[)pearance it was clear that the <]igging had been abandoned for several years. l*'urther on. after a short march we found that the river again disappeared within the porous earth, and, f(jr the sake of obtaining water, we had to camp. The aspect of the surroimding country was gloomy, and the lofty mr)imtains seemed to bar the way towards the large Tibetan encampment of wjiich we had been infonued. In the din^ction we proposed to take we coidd find no indication of water, nor even of njoisture, till Pike, having made a long reconnaissance, saw, from
liXTiiRixc; i\ii.\iuTi-:n cocxtry.
33
;i coiuiuaiuiin',' point, a small sj)iin^' to llif east of our intended course. Before striking' oui- tents at Canip .'iU we noticed a solitary Til)etan approaching', and sent one (»f onr men to invite him into the camp. The visitor pretended to he m seaich of jioiiies whii-h had heen stolen, l)ut we had no doiiht that news of us had ivached (ler^^e, and that th.is man had i)een sent from head- (piarters to watch and report on oui' movements. After
111.1.1 ^.S.-v l;l;l\ul\.. 1 1.1..->1M,-
some Weli-fri^^ncd linu lilin^'ncss he agreed to lead lis within si^dit of tin' I.'ul-^ of (hT^c. which, h.' >>aid. were (hstant two day^' march.
.\fler this aurrrniiiit had hrcn concluded Wf set out, tiie animals heiti;,' heavily laden, thou^di all of them were very emaciated, and half of them had troid)lesome sores on their ha(d<s. Kamzan. with his usual want of jud^MU(>nt, mtcndc.l that the caravan should cros^ a loftv
56 /.V TiniiT AXn CIIINliSE 'JTRKl-STAX.
pass and travel several miles beyond it to the next camp- ing; ground, hilt tliis arrangement was discovered in time, and we turned aside to the spring which Pike had seen the day before. The sjn'ing-water proved unfit for the use of man, and, as tlu'i't> was too little of it to be of service for the animals, we had to ply the pick and spade to procure a sulticient drinkable supply. Another day's march, during which our guide stuck to us, brought us almost within sight of the native encampment at Gerge, and then the Til)etan speedily disappeared. Here were numerous flocks of sheep and goats, and, far apart from these, at the east end of a long, narrow, salt lake, and close to a small marsh, we found a few tents with inhabi- tants, "We pitched our camp on some dry ground, slightly above the level of the marsli ;ind close to a small hole, from wliich all the drinking-water of the encampment had to be lifted with ladles. After we had erected our tents and had l)egun to enjoy the shelter they afforded against the rays of the sun, a petty official came to Tiamzan to inquire who we were and where we meant to go. l-{anizan, wlio, like other Argims, was quite accus- tomed to lying, gave, without hesitation, a circumstantial account of otu' proceedings. I'ike was a mei'chant rctui-n- ing from Turkestan to ]>atang, and 1 was a skilful medicine man willing to be of service if there were any sick in the Tibetan encampment. How the statement regarding Pike's status was received we were not informed, l)ut the offer of my assistance was promptly declined. They had a medicine man of their own and would have nothing to do with a stranger. This was unfortunate, as medical practice among them might have served many useful purposes. During the afternoon some Tibetans became unpleasantly inquisitive, manifesting a strong desire to inspect and handle everything they saw, and for some hours thev huncr about the tents. I was disinclined
XRCOTfATfONS WITIf TinETAXS. ^7
to he communicative, beiii^ engaged ut some cniiiputa- tions, and, perhaps observing this, tliev hcstowuMl most of their attention on Pike's quarters.
Our visitors were greatly surprised at the smaUness of our comi-»any. They told us they had been warned to look out for a force of '2,000 men, commanded by twelve European officers, and had received orders to turn it liack at once. AVhere, they asked again and again, were the rest of our men? We gathered that exaggerated informa- tion concerning our expedition had lieen sent to Ijhasa long before our departure from Leh, and that strict orders, followed by a reminder every foitniuhi, had been iV\>- patched from the Tibetan capital lo all lli<' l'(Onb<.^ in Western Tibet to watch and regularly i-cporl nn tlic moveiiicnts of this force. The Poudtos bad searched all tlic known routes, and we had only avoided their atten- tion by finding a route for ourselves, ivamzan protested in vain that these reports were false, and we fell more and more under the suspicion of being concerned in a subtle scheme for the invasion of the capital. One of the caravan men, bowcNcr, was equal to the occasion, and. having struck up a warm IVicndship wilh a Tilietan visitor, assured liim in the strictest conlidcncc that the remainder of our force had been packed away m the yak dans and baggage.
This explanation, repeated in the Tibetan encampment. l)roved highly satisfactory, and, thereafter, we and our belongings were regarded with respect and awe. \\ c. in turn, were surprised at the smaUness of the nomad encampment at Gerge. but subscMpiently we ascertained that this name was applitnl not merely to this spot, but ilso to the adjacent tract of country when' the numerous valleys afforded shelter and concealment to many other groups of tents with a considerable population.
About dusk the visitors retired to their own tents and
58 /X TIBET .IX/) C/nXRSR TURKESTAX.
left me quite free to pursue iny asti'onomical work. About daybreak T took observations of the j^rincipiil peaks, and had my tlieodoHte packed up again before our neighbours emerged from their al)odes. During the morning a servant of the Pombo came to make inquiries, but we refused him an interview, teUing him that if his master wished for information he ought to come in person. Throuirh our caravan men we ascertained that there was
A TinKTAN TKNT.
in CJerge, a Kuhi trader on liis annual visit for tlic pur- chase of wooUand gold, and that lie had a pony which he was willing to sell. We were seriously in want of trans- port, having lost by death or robbery forty animals, while of the twenty-six remaining half had sore backs. The pony offered to us was not young, and the price asked was exorbitant, but we concluded the bargain, paying 50 rupees down and giving a cheque on a bank at
WE UPHOLD OCR DIGXITY. 59
Lucknow for another 50 rupees. Gold is not dealt in at Gero[e, but at Tliok (lerclie, a place about two days' journey to the south-west. There, as we were informed, traders bought it at 1() rupees per tola of about 180 grains. This price, at Is. 4d. per rupee, would be about equivalent to i'2 lOs. lOd. per ounce. Whether the Tibetans were over-reached would, of course, depend on the purity of the gold.
Pending the arrival of the Pombo, Leno was able to execute some topographical work, wdiile I again set up my theodolite and prepai-ed for observations at night to determine the deviation of the compass. For work of this sort, T invariably set up the instrument by daylight, since it was almost impossible to do so with accuracy l)y lamplight.
Later in the day a messenger came from the Pombo, who had just arrived in the native encampment from some outlying place, and w^e were informed that, as it was not his custom to transact business in the evening, he would visit us early next morning. We w'ere ready to receive hnn early next morning, but he kept us waiting. Companies of mounted men, armed with guns and swords, began to ap])car, and there was a considerable display of force within 100 yards of our tents. The delay of the Pombo seemed due to the desire to impress his own people with a sense of his importance, and it seemed our duty to uphold our dignity in a corresponding manner. When, after noon, the great man was announced, we took time to deliberate, and then sent him word that it was contrary to our custom to attend to importnnt ati'airs till we had finisluMl mit midday re]iast. Having di^votcMl about t\\() liours to oui" simple iiu'al, we bad ;i nuiiiiiali spread for the I'oiiilio in my iciii, mid iinitcd liini to enter and be seatcMl. 1 Ic had assuincil iliat his company might enter along with him. hut, to his displeasure, was
Cx) /.y TllU-.r ./.\7> ClIIXIiSF. 'J(/</<I-.ST.\X.
inronui'd hy lv;iin/;in, who Jicted as inLfipivtcr, tliat wu could not he inducod to discuss any niattor of business in presence of his servants. The menials being kept out- side the interview went on, and proved eminently unsatis- factory. \\'c told him that we meant to travt^l towards the east. i)iit had ncitlici- the intention imr tlic wish to go near Lhasa, and we asked him for assistance in obtain- ing guides and transport. He re])licd that he could not assist us to travel in that direction witlmut ixTiiiission from his superiors, and. to obtain this permission, lie was willing to send to Jiudok. He could not receive a reply from Kudok in less than sixteen days, and we could not piissiliiy wait so long. We told him that we meant to go iti i'lalaiig. and would set out next day, with oi- without his assistance. This was mere bi'ag on Diir part Cor, owing to the state of nur cummissariat :ind lr;ms])ort, such a journey would have been (juite impracticable, ^forcovei-. a rumour had I'cached us. doubtless oi'iginated i»\' the rdiiibd, that a few days' uiafeli to the east of (ierge there was a large body of Chukpas. Still, it was necessai-y to seem resolute. Sn long as we presented a i)old Iroiit with some appearance of strength in reserve, the Tibetans were not likely to use force against us. Tlie o])position we met was mostly passive, and the Pombo was evidently taken aback by our re])Iy. He now asked us to wait for five or six days, and asserted that within that time he would be able to obtain instructions from an f)tticial of higher rank than himself. W'e re])eated our determination to pi-oceed, and the l'oiiil)(» liiitlni- modified his proposals by offering to supjjly us w'ith food till the necessary instructions should be received. We replied that, if one day's supplies were produced at once, we would accept this offer, but if they were not speedily forthcoming we would adhere to f>ur plans. It seemed evident that this offer of the Pombo was not made in f'ood faith, for we heard no more of it.
i-.xriiCTi'.n I- Id I IT.
6i
'I'lir niounted nun i-i»nliinie(l to assenihle, and their demonstrations had a \ciy di^pressin^' (.'tU'ect on our timid Ladaki caravan nu ii, who j)Iaiiily showed that, if matters shouhl proceiMl to I'Xtrt'initics, no assistance could Ije ex- pected from them. Threats, made Ijy tlie l'ond)o and his peo[)le, were eirt-ulatt'd. and we were warneil that our pro^'ress eastwards ccndd only he eti'ected over their dead hodies. Underneath these attempts at intimidation there
rillKTANs SllOuri.Sci
did not apprar to he very much reality, and 1 had no douht that it liuditin^ hecame necessary our ma^'azine carhines would he haniUed with suHicieiit etfeet to dis- perse the enem\. I icuo had heen al)le to «^et from the trader, Dilsuk I Jam. some information, which at the time seemed credihle, eoiicernin;,' tlu' dilYerent routes, and wc now hoped that tiiis information mi;,dit he serviceahle. Al)andonin<,' our pm-pose to advance eastwards, wc a^'reed
62 /.v Tiiu-.r Axn ciiixiisi: /ikkhsiax.
to make for K;iiii,'ri. where, at the annual fair lield in the autumn, we mi^^lit pmchase sufticient suppHes and trans- port to enahle us to reach Ahnora. The position of Kan<,ai we did not know, but, acconhn^' to l^ilsuk Kam, there were three praetieahle routes leachnjjj to it. The most direct route was to the west of suutli : another hiv, at first, to the east of soutli ; and the third, the easiest but lon^^est, hiy for two marches in a westerly direction along the valley in which we were now camped. Having decided on the first of these routes, wx' served out abundance of annnuiii- tion to Leno, Sanman, the two Sikhs, ]Jass, and two of the caravan men, with strict orders that no shot was to be tired except by our connnund, or in reply to the fire of the Tibetans. Our preparations caused great excitement among the armed men, more than two hundred in nunil)er, who watehrd us from the eastern side, at a distance of about a (juartei' of a miU'. They had their ponies close by, and presented a rather formidable appear- ance, so that Pike and I thought fighting not improbable. We kept the caravan in close order and went more slowly than usual, that the sheep might not be left behind. To our surprise, no opposition was offered, and we began our advance in the direction Dilsuk Eam had pointed out. Here, however, we could find no track nor any feasible line of eountry, and we were obliged to turn westwards along the easy valley route. This movement seemed to indicate an intention of returning to Ladak, and explained the finally pacific attitude of the Tibetans.
It was necessary now to search for a way across the mountains, and for this purpose we camped at the south side of Lima Kingma Chaka (Long Far-distant Salt-place), beside fresh water and grass. Soon after unloading we observed four mounted men who halted not far to the west, and we despatched Kamzan to ascertain what they wanted. They professed to have been sent to guide us
n/</-: An /■('/. sokh hacks. 63
westwards, but no (loul>t their chief purpose was to keep us uudei- observation. One of them asserted there was no route southwards across the nioiuitains, but said that his own tent was only two or three marches distant, where lie would be willing' to sell us some rice. He also promised to guide us towards l\;mi;ri if Kamzaii would be silent on the subject.
From 'rhurj^'o {('amp 1')) there was a route leading to Thok Jaiun^. wliert' ^old was said to be found, ami to Kudok and Kangri, but the dread of punishment was too great for the man who had promised to guide us, and he now refused to accompany us, even for one march, in that direction. We seriously thought of trying to force our way unaided out of Tibet by the Kangri rt)ute, but the dit'ticulties were seen to be insurmountable, and we at length rekictantly agreed to return to Ladak, having rect'ived a promise that guides and sutticient transport would be provided for us. There was now a pros])ect of relief for our exhausted animals and an o[)portunity of attending to their sores. Neither medicine nor external applications had been of any avail while they were daily loaded with galling burdens, but with other transport in prospect I hoped U)V pernument improvement. I care- fully dressi'd their wounds, thoroughly washing them and applying a soluti(tn of per-chloride of mercury in the pro- portion of I to I ,()()() paiis of watrr. This task, whieli 1 had to perform with my own bands, was the most un- pli'asant which fell to my lot during the course^ of the expedition. The appearaiu-e of the sores and their smell were sickening, and, in two or three eases, tlu^ lotion applied at one spot emerged through otlur a])iitui-<'s in the withers and back.
As soon as the fresh transport had bi-en obtained we left Thurgo on the return journey to Ladak, under the guidance of an armed and well-mounted Tibetan escort.
64 /x T//urr .i.v/) c/f/x/is/': tcrki-istax.
We hiul not ^oiu" tar wlu-ii it hocauu! clear that we were to be led by a len^^tliy I'oiite. an aiTaii^ciuent w liieli suited me admirably, as it provided an ()p[)()rlunit\ for the survey of a widt' tract of country. To make sure thai this course would be adhered to. 1 at once vi<;()rously protested against it, and insisted on being taken the shortest way. Being tohl that, by the short route, the passes were lofty and difficult, I acquiesced, with a bad grace, in the escort's
KKCUlll) OMS .\.\1.M<>N 1II:a|).
arrangement. 1|\ the easier route the passes were of sufficient height to ta.x our energies, one of them, apparently not regarded as formidalde, being 1(5,700 feet. The large escort rather liampered our movements, and, in the survey work, we liad to take precautions against exciting suspicion. Leno, attended by two caravan men who carried the plane-table and stand, invariably lagged behind, and contrived to elude the attention of the
RECORP 0]'/S AMMOX llli.\l\ 65
Til)etans, who only uskttl wliv llicsc tlin-i- iiicii wore always condemned to carry loads so that they anivol in camp after ever}' one else.
As we [)r()ceeded it became dit'ticiilt to find ^^ood water, and. alterwards, water ol" any sort became so scarce that, but for. the <,niides, we shoidd scarcely bave been able to find it. The tiny springs were generally concealed in narrow side vallejs; grass also became scarce, and our wretched animals fared so badly that two of them bad to be shot. We found several skulls of ovis amnion, or Hodgsoni, and probably living specimens of this sheep were not far ol't'. but time did not admit of our searching for them. One line head wliich we picked up near Camp 41) was 57 inches long and LS'j inches in circumference at the base of tlic horns. This, according to Kowland Ward's '* l\ecords of Big (iame," which is the standard authority on the subject, is undoul)tedly the largest known head of an oris (luunoii .
CHAPTKK V
(lood water — Difficult ascent — Hard work — Departure of our escort — Mountain sickness — Game very wild — Misled by guide — xVnnoy- hv^ ponies — Trying ascent to a hiU station — News of Chukpas — Guides propose an attack — Division of ^^o\\ — Keze Chaka — ILihva — Enforced short marches — Bad state of transport — Feel- ings of Tibetans towards Europeans — Pombos — Taxes — Curious beliaviour of sick mule — Dusty camp — Frozen ink — Waterless camp — Strange river — In search of lUmdor — Flashing signals — Reliable news of Rundor.
TN this part of the country good water was difficult to -*- tind, and day alter day we were oldiged to content ourselves with such natural solutions of salt and soda, or such muddy mixtures as the neighbourhood supplied. We could tliink of no method of removing the salt and soda, but by b(jiling the muddy li(]uid and adding a mere pinch (if pi)\vdcred alum a fairly clear water could be olttained. The privations i)i the wilderness, however, have their compensations, and the springs of water, fresh and pure, on w hicli we at length lighted not only relieved our anxiety, but gave such keen enjoyment as only those who liave suti'ered from similar inconvenience can under- stand.
About a week's journey from Thurgo we approached the tine snow-clad mountains of Lari Fobrang, or Lari Phai, and spent some time in measuring bases and observing the height of this as well as of Thachap Gangri
n.iRn WORK. 67
and (Jtlier promiiii'iit peaks. All such lUDUiiiain^ an- closely associated with the ancient religious worship (jf i\\v. inhabitants. The wild forces of nature are per- sonified and deilied : the goddess Devi especially is supposed to haunt the summits and the passes, where wind and fro.st and snow are in the c(jmmon course of things. At the head of each frequented pass, travellers are supposed to make some offering to this divinity. It may he only a rag, a scrap of sheep-skin, or a stone, hul in some [ilaccs mounds or pillars of stone have i)een erected, and 111 others the structures are of the skulls of animals.
.Vl Kun/um (Caniji -A we halted to give our beasts of burden a two days' rest, and as soon as our escort heanl of our purpose they announced their intention of departing. The direct route to Ladak, which we had professed ourselves desirous of following, lay l)y lludok, a place whicli the ollicials at Cierge and Thurgo seemed determined that we should not visit. The longer route gave us better geographical results, and the escort, per- ceiving that we were not likely to alter our plans, relieved us of their com])any but left us the guides.
.\t Kiiii/Miii till' \allty afforded gooil shelter from the wind, but was .so narrow as to render the measurement of a base-line ratlu'r troublesonu-. On the hills above the camp, where the wind was high and the temju iMture low. our woik had to be aci-omplished under great dilli- cuities. licno and 1 observed and recorded by turns, but even with this division of labour the exposure was pro- longed, and rosulte(l in chills which necessitated recour.so to the medicini' chest. Smvi-y work was diversified by attention to tlie uncomplaining animals, who.se sores 1 washed and dressi'd. while I'ikfWriit out to makr imo- vision lor our larder. \'ak were plentiful in the neigh- bourhood, anil one day. looking from a hill station, I
68 /x rini-.r wn ciiixi-.si-. iri<Ki-.srA\\
iU)tK'c(l limi husily (li,seliar;;iii^ lus eailjiiie at a liiii' animal which would not yield. The stream of ■HO;i bullets appeared to have no effect except to enrage the yak. and Pike's aiiiiimiiilion was soon exhausted. The attack had lie-in in a iiarniw valley with steep sides, where there was not very iiiiu li chance foi' I'ike if iiis ^veapon failed him, but he coiilii\cd to reach a lar^'c projecting rock inaccessible to the pursuing yak. His urgent signals showed that he was in straits, and 1 at once dispatched Nurbu (the Ladaki shepherd) with ammunition, which he speedily delivered. The next report of the rifle was the death-knell of the amnial which had made so good a defence. After the carcase had been skinn(^d and cut u]>, we went in search of another yak winch had been wdunded. For a couple of hours we tracked him and a tlnrd wliich had joined him, and at last I was able to get a long shot, Init he galloped away as if uninjured.
Tile effects of the atino-pheric conditions at these altitudi's seemed curiously inconstant. Here, at 1(),G80 feet above the sea, most of the Arguns complained of headache, though at greater elevations they had suffered no inconvenience. So disti'essed were they now tlial they refused t(j pai'take of the fresh meat which was their favourite food. Leno. on the last day at Camp 51, was also ill. Ijut Sanman, Dass, and the two Sikhs were not affected. Th(jse of our coin]ia7iy who smoked found some difficulty in gratifying th( ir taste. The pipe was easily lighted, but vigorous suction was required to keep the smouldering fire in existence, and the violence of this exertion seemed more than the satisfaction was worth. >o that t'Veii haliitual smokers like I'ike were content with an occasional whiff. Being a non-smoker I was not troubled in this way, but 1 was annoyed at the serious reduction in the illuminating power of the candles,
(lAMJ-. \'I:RV wii.n. 71
and also l)y tiic (tiiumulioii in llit- hral llu'V ^mvc out. Tlic lattiM" may seem a matter of small account. I)iit it icsultfd in wax clo<,'^nn^' tlic canillc-liuldcr and hlockin^f the npwanl passa^'c ot" the tlanic.
Ht'twccii ThoncluuC'amp tO) and Kunzum \\v had seen little or no •j[anie, a fact which seemed attrihutahle not to the presence of nomads hut to tlie com])aratively low altitudes. Bower, in the narrative of his plucky journey across Tihet, states that antelope are seldom found helow lo.OOO feet, and we in our wanderinj^s never saw one at a lower level. Here they were in fjreat numhers, hut were so wild that we could seldom ^'et within ranj^'c for an elVective shot.
At Chukyar (f'ami) WX) T was fortunate enou^di to shoot a tine hull yak after a lon^' and rather exciting' stalk. The temperature was very low, and in skinninj,' tlie carcase we had to keep ourselves warm hy nu'ans of a fn"(> of dry dun*,', which was fanned into a ^dowini,' mass Ity a steady hree/.e. in the process of cuttin^,' u|), howcvti-. wf found the natural heat of the animal's hody suthcient. The m»'n took to camp as nnu-li meat as could he used ami also as mui-h as could he carried on oui" next march, hut they Were lU'velojiin;,' a taste for ^|>i)it, and next day llit\ shot anothei" yak. ()idy the ihnat i)f il(|iri\ uil,' tin ni of tiieir annntmition could make them hrlicve that we ((hjectcd to wanton slau;^litrr.
I'sually iMke or 1 went on ahead of the caravan, the •,'uides having' explicit and often repeated instructions to halt at any jilace, wlnih they considered suitahle for campin;,' <^M<)und. .\fti'r leaving' Camp JC) I was (Mi«;er to reconnoitr(\ and with one of the ^juides [)ushed far in advance, hoping to ohtain from a connnaiKhnj; lu-ij^ht a »j;ood view of the surrounding' country. We readied a spot with a few small pools of moderately ;,'ood water and plenty of i;rass, where my ;^ui(le si«;nalled to me to
72 IN TinET AXn CIIIXESE Tl'RKESTAX.
lialt. He promptly removed the saddle Irom his pony :ind 1 speedily followed his example, supposing that this was to be our resting-place for the night. We took our frugal midday repast of bread and meat, and then, leaving our animals loose among the grass, set out on foot towards some adjacent hills. When we had finished our reconnaissance we returned to the pools, hut found no sign of the caravan. In my eagerness to explore the neighbourhood I had thought too little of the weakness of the transport animals, which now with difficulty could travel ten miles a day, a distance which my guide and I had exceeded a good deal. We therefore sought our ponies, l)ut they, rejoicing in their liberty, would not be caught. They seemed to delight in the annoyance they gave, circling round us and approaching so near that I could once or twice touch them but was unable to grasp the head collar. I succeeded at length in getting hold of the guide's pony, but all efforts to catch my o\\n, which was of stronger build, failed. The large saddle I placed on the small pony, balancing it carefully, for the girths were quite useless, and then rode slowly back, attended by the guide, who carried his own saddle, while my pony giimbolled roun<l him at a few yards' distance.
At C'am[) 57 our caravan remained two days, while Pike went on to Charol or Shenien Cho to boil thermometers and (obtain a view of the region through which we should have to pass. Leno and I devoted ourselves to climbing mountains, sketching, and looking for sites for hill stations. To the north-east of our camp there was a lofty mountain which connnanded a wide tract of country, and we had no doubt of finding on it a suitable spot for one of our stations. For the second, however, we had more difficulty in discovering a convenient place. Leno, attended by a number of men, took the theodolite to the
./ nili'ICCLT CUM II 71
niouiitiiiii on the iioitli-eiist, and I set out with one man towards the sontli-west wlieie there was a lofty range wliich sci'incd hkcly to suit our purpose. For a long time 1 struggled to reach the top, but the sides were of loose shale and very precipitous. I dreaded having to return to camp battled, aiul for hours kept perseveringly at work until I was rewarded by reaching the crest, where T was nbli' to idenlifx- Tjuri Fobiang and other
I IKl. >ll"\\ INi
peaks whic'li had been h.xed. The men with Ticno on the opposite side of the valley, many miles tHstant. had beiii told to keep a good look-out for mr. and so well did they carry out this oidcr that bd'ore the pillar at my hill station was eomjilctc. it \\;is used as a point in Ftiio's observations. Ne.xt day the theodolite was with threat labour carried to this new station, and carefid observations wi're made, which comjileti'd the geodetic measurements at this camp.
74 AV rnUlT AXn CIIIXESE rrKKESTAN.
Before we left Cainp 'u ;i few 'I'ibetans iiniwd w iili supplies for tlu" guides am] llie men in eliarf,^3 of the yaks. The coming of these men seemed to cause a good deal of excitement, which was explained when Kamzan found leisure to repeat to us the news they had brought. It was reported, he told us, that two of the Chukpas who had been hit by Utam Singh near Camp 31 had died. The Chukpas were much dreaded by the peaceful Tibetans, and the tidings gratified and cheered the guides, as well as inspired them with a wholesome respect for the carbines. The report seemed the more satisfactory to the natives because they believed there was then a band of Chukpas in our neighbourhood. Our visitors professed themselves most eager to attack the robbers, and we were interested in eliciting their plan of campaign. Their idea of fighting was to send us to make the onslaught wdiile they remained behind to defend our camp. After this division of labour the plunder was to be divided also ; we should hand over the yaks and sheep to our allies, and retain the nudes and ponies for ourselves. To the simple Tibetans the arrangement seemed just and fair, especially as without tlic infoi'mation they had given we sIkjuUI not have known that the robbers and their booty were at hand. Our guides and their friends were grievousl}' dis- appointed when we told them that we had no quarrel with these Chukpas, and would not attack them except in self-defence, or for the recovery of our goods.
The visitors soon departed, and the guides, when free fi"()ni the consti'aint of their presence, became (juite friendly towards us. One of them was especially cheerful and hard t\'orking, and both assisted in building pillars on points of observation. They, of course, did not under- stand the purpose of the pillars, but were satisfied with Kamzan's answer : Sahibs are strange people ; they do strange things, and give strange orders; but their servants
r(\]rBOS ,1X7) TAxns. 75
must obey. Unfortunately, Kanizan, like; many better men, did not live up to his own theory of duty.
Our daily fare was plain and admitted of little variety. Usually, for a second course, we had a small shape of rice boiled in water, but at this season on these chill altitudes this was almost invariably served half-frozen. One even- ing Leno sent to ask us to partake of a sweet dish which his cook had prepared, and this, simple as it was, we found a pleasant change. "Halwa" was its name, and it consisted of flour, ghee, and a little sugar.
Our marches here were short, for the transport animals, inider-fed and over-worked, were very emaciated. From the guides we gained nuicli information concerning the localities, lakes and rivers of this part of the country, and the descriptions we received were afterwards corroborated by a friendly and intelligent official named Nymget Sring, to wdiom we were otherwise indebted for assistance. We observed many indications of good-will on the part of natives who w^ere not officials, and only the risk of detec- tion by the Pombos prevented them from giving at any time information and active help. Apart from the special pur[)()se for which they were employed, our guides were not unconnnunicative, aud we could occasionally gather fragments relating to their customs oi- t<i the li:inlshij)s i)^ their daily life.
The Tibetans ai'c poor, and such possessions as thev have consist of flocks and herds, yd ihey are heavily taxed. One tax, collected i)y the Poiiibos. is levied in money or in kind at the rati' of about 50 rupees for every 80U sheep and six yaks w hich the natives own. It is understood to be the duty ol the Pombos to hand over tlu' [)roceeds to the ( loxcnuiicnl at Lhasa; but the Pombos are appointed oidy for three years, and their pay is little more than nominal, consisting of som(^ tea, cloth, and food, so that they are popularly credited with retain-
76 IX Tiiurr Axn Chinese tvrkestan.
ing Tor their own use no small pai-t of the amount contributed by the population. To what persons they hand the l)ahince is doubtful, but it seems probable that the contributions pass tlu-ough the hands of several grades of of'ticials, and that only a small portion of the total reaches its proper destination. The second tax is collected by the Lamas who, in the case of non-payment, either punish the defaulters themselves or employ the Pombos to enforce the exactions m accordance with the sacred law book of the country. The most common form of punishment is by fine, but imjDrisonment is also awarded. This penalty, however, is only inflicted in Lhasa and, perhaps, Shigatze, and the criminals im- prisoned are mostly thieves. The death sentence is passed only in Lhasa, and only on murderers and spies ; it is carried out by tying the cul[)rit in a yak-skin and throwing him into the river.
The manner in which the Tibetans dispose of their dead seems somewhat akin to that in use among the Parsees. The bodies are carried to the top of a high mountain, where they are cut up and left to become the food of ravens.
Tibetan habits are in one respect curiously different from those of h^uropean mountaineers. In Scandinavia or in Switzerland, the flocks and herds are driven from the hills to the valleys at the approach of winter, but in Western Tibet the sheep and goats are driven to the lofty ground, when the snow begins to cumber the valleys. The heights are constantly exposed to winds which sweep them clear of snow, so that they usuall}^ present some pasture available for the hardy flocks of the country. In these regions there seems to be no great snowfall ; on the heights it is certainly slight. We could discover scarcely any trace of avalanches, and, though we sought to determine the snow-line, we could find very
CURIOUS BEHAVIOUR OF MULE. 79
few (lata on which lo ,^\nieraHse. No well-marked liiuit could be traced, but probably little snow lies all the year round in Western Tibet under 20,000 feet.
The conditions here were trying for the transport animals, and though relieved of their burdens and care- fully tended, some of them became so weak that they had to be shot. One very fine mule, which had regularly carried the instruments, behaved so strangely at Camp 61 that we were concerned about her. When driven out to grass she promptly returned to camp and took up a position close to my tent. Then, showing symptoms of colic, she lay down, partly on my tent, at a spot close to the medicine chest, from which large doses of opium and calomel were thereafter taken and poured down her throat. Having a good constitution and a tough inside, the animal survived both the colic and the medicine.
This neighbourhood contained many lakes which showed sicns of a frreat contraction in area. The salt lake at the west of Kaze C'haka nmst formerly have been several hundreds of feet deeper than now.* At some places we were troubled with dust, but in this respect Camp 68 was by far the worst.
By the beginning of October the mininuim thermoilieter fell to within a few degrees of zero F., and soon after sunset it was impossible to write with ink. The liquid froze in the bottle unless it was held in the hand, and in that case the drop on the pen nib became solid before it could be transferred to paper. I was obliged to record observations in pencil and subsequently to transcribe them by the camp fire, or in a sunny place screened from the cold wind.
The guides now told iis tlial our way was towards Kundor, which was not lar off. but tlie nearer we ap]">roached it, the more luiccrtain they seemed as to ■ See Appendix I., page 389.
8o /.y 77 /:/rr .i.v/) c/ifxiis/i rrRK/'.s/wx.
wlial dircctidii to tiikc. They ])r()inis('(l to iiiid siiitalilc camping' ^froimd with ahiiiulance oi' water, l)ut in this they (lid not always succeed. At ^fairhok (Camp ()(')) the animals had to be provided witli watci- obtained from melted snow. From this point, howcxcr, we had a view of a fairly large stream, and the prospect of camping beside it next day kept our spirits up. Tn the morning we looked for the stream, but couM [x rcci\c no trace of it; we clind)ed a stretch of rising ground whicli coiu- manded a view along the valley, but no running water could be seen. Yet we had not been deceived ; the river did exist, but ilowed intermittently. At Chagnaiiguja (Camp ()7) we found tliat it was tlic lialn't of the stream to visit that spot alnnil noon, and to continue its course during the rest of the day, but promptly to stop when night set in. This peculiarity was doubtless caused partly by the action of the sun on the ice oi- snow, and partly by the porous nature of the river-l)ed. but \\c had not time to make a minute investigation. We attempted to store water by constructing a small dam, in the hoj^e of obtaining a pure sup})ly. liut our efforts were vain ; as the llow decreased the stored supj)ly vanished tbi-ougli tlie ground, and we had to be content with tlie nniddy water which came at intervals with a rush as if from a newly-opened sluice.
We wished to ascertain the position of the place called iiundor, whose very existence now seenu;d doubtful, and was accepted, not on the strength of the guide's asser- tions, but on the word of Xurbu, the shepherd, who told us that he had visited the place several times, going from Ladak. We therefore sent l\amzan ahead on my riding pony, attended by one of our guides, to reconnoitre, while Leno and T betook ourselves to the work of surveying. We found some inconvenience from the want of helio- graphs. A small folding mirrtjr liad to serve the purpose,
Klil.lMU.Ii MiWS 01- Kl'XnOK.
Si
<and an alpenstock was used to ali^ni tlic sun's rays so that the surveyor in the valley could make his si^Mials visihlc to the www on llir liill, who in linii, tlioii^h untrained, were ahie to use a second mirror \\ ith sutticient exactness. Here we spent three days in surveyinf,', and then resumed our inarch. We had not ^'one far when we met liamzan returnin^^ from Kundor, accomjjanicd hy two natives of the place, which we were told was (Hstant two days' journey.
CliAi'Ti:K \I
Ranizan sent to Ladak — His excuse for delaying — Pike's love of cold water — Aiino.ving caravan men — Rundor — " Presents " from Pombo — Fresh transport — Names of jilaces — Large glacier — The Nabo La — Mountain sickness — Saninan again disobedient — The last halt — Cold weather —Accident to theodolite — End of survey- ing— Strange visitor — Rassoula's '* konka " — Grass and fuel very scarce — Death of animals — Our scribe Rassoula — Sending for tran'sport and supplies — Shooting ponies — Arri\al of men from Lutkum — Wood at last — The waterless camps — Arrival at Lutknm — Return to Leh — Tiic Zoji La in winter — Frozen to death — End of journey.
r)A^rZAN and his new friends from Rnndor informed *■' us tluit the Poml)o had f,'one to Ladak to purchase l)arley and other supplies for his own people, and since in his absence there was little probability of the nomads providinj^' us with sufficient transport for the remainder of our journey, we resolved to act independently of them. Fobranj,' was the nearest village in British territory, and tliither wu decided to send Hamzan to ])iocure the neces- sary animals. liy much talkin<,f and liberal promises he contrived to obtain a guide, but no })ony could be bought or l)orrowed. and I had to give him mine. We had sufficient food for ourselves and the caravan men, but the barley was almost used up, and Kamzan was in- structed to arrange for a fresh supply, as well as for chopped straw for the animals. His orders were to hasten, but he was in no hurry to start, and in reply
r/K/i'S /lU-/' 01- COLD \VATI:I<. S:;
to my remonstnuK-es lie iiiiidc sncli i-idiculous jind im- possible excuses as are commonly used by Jjadakis, asserting that lie would certainly make up for lost time l)y travellin<T night and day.
Our ])rogress to Kundor was slow and on the wa\' we had ditlieuhics and annoyances to overcome. Tlic weather had become very cold, and wbcn. as on the mornings ol' October iHth and I'.lth, the thermometer showed a temperature witbin i^' of zero F., I was tempted to pay less attention than usual to my ablutions. Pike, however, with the rigour of a S[)artan, al)ated no jot of the morning ceremony. My (occasional use of water raised by the camp tire a little above the freezing point, was regarded by him as a sign of luxurious softness. He was unmoved by accidents of the weather, and when the water was changing to icicles or when only mnnelted snow was at hand, he only rubbed the more vigorously. When our tent was so situated as to catch the first rays of th«! morning sini. a difference of temjierature was very perceptible; but we c-ould not always have this advantage. A trying part of my work was the observation of Collie's poi-tablr barometer at seven in the morning and nine in the evening (local lime), an operation in wliicli gloves had to be discai'ded. In uiij>acking tlu' instrumi'nt. in reading its indications and repeating llie readings until three of them agreed to witbin dOl df an incli. an<l in again packing up tlie mstiuiuent, a good deal of time was occupied, and my lingeis often became so numbed that the work had to be intenupted till the eireidation was restored.
Then we had a good deal of annoyance fi-om the want of a modi'rately competent caravan bashi to s(>e that our onlers. wliirli were never exacting, were duly carried out. Tbe men coidd not be trusted to do as they weic
liild llldess tlie\- Were under eonslailf silpelA isii in. and
S4 /-\' TiiU'.r A\n ( mxh'.si: rii<i<i:sr.\s.
soiuetiiiu's tlii'ir tlisoht'difiici' was j)ntV()kin^'. Inslriiclioiis were given that certain of llic aiiimals. being; unlit lor work, sliouUl he exempt from carrving burdens. 'I'be orders were elearly understood by the men, and then disregarded. To llie worst oft'ender, callous to the suft'erings of the mules, I administered two blows with a stick which disconcerted him so nnich that he lay down on the ground and howled that I had killed him. The lusty voice in whieh he bewailed his punishment showed that he iiad received no injury, but ridiculous as his behaviour was, tlie necessity of enforeing compliance with orders by sucli imans was exceedingly disagreeable.
The two Kundor men whom Kamzan had introduced into our camp were accompanied by two large and ujjly dogs. One of them very soon showed a great antipathy to strangers, but as he kept at a respectful distance from me. 1 thought little about him. As he became more accustomed to our presence he seemed to lay aside his enmity, and when we reached the Churti watershed he ap- peared quite friendly. But his friendship was feigned, for, observing me defenceless, engaged in tlie needful work of collecting dung f(»r fuel, he took advantage of tlie opportunity and seized me by the calf. My position was distinctly disagreeable, but, at length, the brute loosened his h(»ld and I was able to reach my rifle. By that time, however, he was in full retreat and presented such a small and rapidly-moving target that the bullets did him no harm.
Kundor, we found was nothing more than an encamj)- ment of nomads. Our guides had led us to believe that it was a very large one, but though, as regards area, it was large, embracing the valley running east and south of Nabo La, the tents, so far as we could see, were few and the population small. No doubt tlie numerous side valleys which afford shelter and grazing for cattle, and
'•/7v7:\S/:.\7".S ■ IkOM I'OMJiO. S5
conct'jilnit'nt Iroin the Cliukpiis, wore also sparsely inhabited. Soon after we had pitched our camp at Kanioyoj(nia, tlie Kiindor Tonibo's Deputy, Nymget Sring, paid us a visit. He gave us milk and cheese, nominally as presents hut really in the hope of receiving a more valuable gift. In our route there were, at no great distance, two rather (litlicull passes, and our pur[)(isr was to cro.ss these anti thin wait for the return of (»ur men
I.AIUIK Ot^CIKIt NKAII TIIK NABO \.\ (|-AKk).
from Fobrang. \\ »• entered mto negotiations with Nymget Sring, and after nuich talking, lie agreed to sidl us barley and t<» supply us with ten yaks at the rate of twelve annas per march for «'ach aninuil. for at U-ast three days. This arrangement suited us vj-ry well and was prol)ably an advantageous ouf for Nvm;,'«t Srin^'. In such circiniistauiM's it was the custom of the otVicials to connhandeer the ammals or provisions recpiired. but
86 /.\' TUUiT AM) C///\/:S/- TLKKIiS/'AX.
never to liaiid ovit lo llif owiur tin- payniciil lliey received.
Nymget, a cheerful iiiuii and well disposed towards us, agreed to accompany us till we should meet the men from Fobrang. Having set out from Rundor. w'e advanced on the ascent of the Nabo La. and, preparatory to crossing the ridge, camjxd foi' the night at Larcha. Here the height was about 17,430 feet, but no incon- venience was felt by any of the men, except Tara Singh who complained of a headache, due probably to an over- abundant mv^al the previous day. The Nabo La had been mentioned to us as not higli, a description which I would not (|uite adopt. The eastern slope we found gradual and easy. We passed a very large glacier wliich projects well into the main valley, its foot being at an altitude of about 17,700 feet. Frequent halts were necessary to rest the men and animals, but without too much exertion we reached the top. There we found the usual heap of stones and skulls, and this afforded us some shelter from the cold west wind wlien we proceeded to boil thermometers for the determination of the height. Two caravan men sujiplied more effectual protection by holding their filthy and vile-smelling sheepskins round me, and at length the various difficulties in the way of lighting the candle were overcome. The hypsometcr screen was so admirably designed that, as soon as the candle was lighted it burned freely and without waste, no additional shelter being required. The hypstnneters gave the altitude as is.KSO feet. The aneroid barometer which I carried went below fifteen inches, the lowest point to which it was graduated, and there stuck fast, showing an estimated altitude of l'.),7()0 feet. What height the instrument would have indicated bad tlie mechanism been constiucted for greater elevations, it is impossible to say, but the error on this occasion was sufficient to show^ that for altitudes over
.]/(U\ /\\/\ Sk'KX/-:sS.
S7
about 1(S,0U0 Ict't, tills instruiucnt was valueless. Nearly all anei-oids record too small a haroiuetric pressure at {Threat liei^lits : tlieir errors increase with iIm- lit'i«,'lit, and at ^^reat hei<;lits no two instruments even by the same maktu', when })laced under the same conditions, record the same pressure. Their errors can only be detected by comparison with the mercurial barometer, or hypsometer on the spot. As a rule, our aiu:'roid was compared
WAiml.llSS (AMI- NKVIt IMl; AN I.V (I'ASS).
ni(irniii;4 and cvcnin;,' with Collie's jiorlablc nnrcinial baroiiirtcr. but we lUiver used the latter instruintiit at passes, only in camp.
The Nabo La was undoubtedly the hi«.;lu'st jionit the ciiravan had icachcd, but h-w of us wei'e seriously alVected. Lend. 'I'ara Sin^di. and two .\r;4uns complained df head- aches, and Sannians tace an<l hands becaiiu- swollen. All of us had to nuike frequent halts lor a minuti- or two
8S /.\' TIllliT AM) C/f/XfiS/-: /Y'A'A'A.S '/\/.V.
to rei;;iiii l)rt'atli, a circumstance which ai'icctcd IMke a good deal, and t(» me was very distressing. Here Sanman, as at earlier stages of our journey, showed himself lazy and disobedient, causing more trouble than his assistance was worth. He would have been much improved by a sound beating, which neither Pike nor I cared to inflict.
Descending the Nabo La, we entered a narrow, rather steep, and very stony valley, from which we passed into a broad valley almost destitute of grass, where tlie mules and ponies had to subsist on a few handfuls of corn and the little water that was not frozen. Fortunately, as we advanced we found a better supply of grass and water. Here we halted for a day and I completed the system of triangulation by connecting it with Tartary Peaks, Nos. 1 and 'i, of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. This task I had fortunately accomplished before the theodolite was damaged by an accident. At the hill station here, on Oct(jber 19th, the cold west wind was so violent that the instrument was blown over, though large stones had been piled round the stand. Leno had par- tially broken its fall so that it was not irretrievably destroyed, but it was so damaged that further work with it was out of the question. During four months the theodolite had provided me with the means of interesting employment, for few days or nights had passed without my taking either terrestrial or astrono- mical observations, and now, to my regret, this occu- pation was gone.
Had it not been for the cutting wind, we might have lingered and admired the panorama of majestic mountains which extended before us, many of their summits being clothed with perpetual snow. At least three of the peaks which we observed were over 21,000 feet in height, and doubtless others were as high. Within the depression which they enclosed lay, Dyap Cho, or Lake Treb, as
RA ssocLA 's '• A'( iyk\ir 89
Wellby calls it. To the north of this lake was a lofty mountain with rounded summit, the height of which we endeavoured to ascertain ; our efforts, however, were unsuccessful as tlie rounded t<>]) presented not one feature which could possil)ly be recognised from a second station.
Nymget Sring, ixassoula, and sonu' of the caravan men to whom our homeward route was to some extent familiar, asserted that there were no more high passes to cross, onl}^ a " konka," or low pass, and two others of insignifi- cant height.
A careful examination which I made of the lofty range west of the Dyap Cho, did not tend to bear out their statement, but still Kassoula persisted in his opinion. We moved on and camped at a cheerless spot, where no fuel could be found and where the stream was frozen to a solid mass. This was at Thakcho Karu (Camp 7(V), 17,()0() feet in height. This place was, in fact, very little below the level of the top of the pass, the ascent being so very gradual that the highest point could not easily be determined. Here was Rassoula's " konka," identical with Nymget Sring's " Kone La" and the " Kepsang Pass" of the maps. Snow had fallen, but not so as to l)rcvcnt the animals from finding a scanty supply of the laugiua grass of tlu^ region. These dumb servants, owing to daily marches, scarcity of food and water, and the severe cold, were reduced to a i)iti;ilile condition Several of them were frozen to death and many of them had to be shot. In the mornings my first (pu^stion was. " How nuiny deaths during the night?"" When I think of this portion of our journey it seems wonderful that any of our nudes or ponies survived to reacli Ladak. 'I'be few Tibetan ponies we had fared lietter than the other animals, for they h;id llie habit of pawing the snow till the irrass beneath was hud ban', and tht\ hiunnieri'd
90 /.^' TlllliT AXn CHIXESR TURKESTAN.
with tin ir hoofs on tlie ice in search of water, now and then with success. Near the camp there was noticed an unexpected visitor, a bald-headed coot, which had been attracted by the presence of so many animals in the desolation of the mountains. The poor l)ir(l, like otu* beasts, was quite exhausted and was easily caught by the men, who were ordered to put an end to its misery and save it from a lingering and painful death.
Of all the members of our caravan, Kassoula showed the most wonderful imperviousness to cold. In such weather it was important to have proper footgear ; boots were undoubtedly the worst, unless so large as to admit with ease two pairs of the thickest woollen socks ; but Rassoula, whether riding or walking, would wear nothing in preference to a cast-off pair of my boots, whicli he never fastened. This man, besides his professional attain- ments, had some slender accomplishments which made him useful in another way. He was from Ladak, where the language spoken is Bhoti, and he was the only man in our camp who could write a letter in Bhoti. When we were sending to Ladak for help, a letter was necessary to confirm the words of our messenger, and for the writing of this letter the services of our cook were impressed. This work, however, proved almost beyond his powers ; when the orders which were to form the groundwork of the epistle were rehearsed to him, he kept muttering to himself and then proceeded to w^rite ; but it was easy to see that the words he used were partly Bhoti,- partly Hindostani, and partly, doubtless, from other tongues. All efforts to adhere to one language were hopeless, and when, after much labour, the epistle was finished it was very doubtful what its meaning was, or whethei- il liud a meaning. Kassoula could repeat to us what he had been told to say, and doul)tless did so, only pretending to read the letter as it finallv stood. Durin<: the whole of this
r./.I//' AT r AC KIM.
91
labour the puzzled look on his solemn countenance was the cause of much merriment.
In these trying times our spirits were supported hy Rassoula's assurance that a " <,an-rain jugga," or " warm spot," was not far off, but this place of comfort was still too far off for our purpose. At Pagrim, where we found a small nomad encampment, the guide who had been sent witli Ixamzan to TjUtkum returned in the cc^mpany
W^.
AMI' \1 IM.ia.M.
of two Lutkuni mm, but witlioiit iJain/aii who. \\v in- formed us, was ill and unable lo travel. To arrange lor assistance we sent Utam back witb oiu' ol' these new- comers, but fresh diniculties awaiti'd us. Tlie Kuiidoi- men were naturally iiii))atient to i-eturu to tlieir bomes. Wintei' was clo.sing in u|>on tbeni : there were two passes behind them, and fof all theii- trouble they did not expect to receive one anna. \\ e otlereil an increase of pay, but
ijj /.v 77/!/:/' .}.\7) c///x/:s/-: ti7</</-:s/.\\.
without avail, t\»r all (Uir iic^'ntiatinus wci-f with NMii^'et Sriiif,' and wciv carrit'd on in our cainii apail lioni ilir other Hundoi- men, who, theiv is liltli' douht. knew nothing' of the har<,Miiiin;4. As soon as ni^dit set in these men holted and took their yaks with them, and. whal was vexatious, they went unpaid, so that we had to entrust the money to Nym^'et Sring, wlio. with a sinilc. undertook to satisfy them.
At raf,n-im our situation was very dreary, and we resolved to proceed. The transport yaks were now j,'one, i>ut having ohtained from Nymget Sring the use of his two pcjnies, we loaded these and the other animals lieavily and set out. We liad to send hack repeatedly for surplus •>aggage, and it took us two days to travel eleven miles to Niagzu. On the hills to the north of the valley there was a large herd of sheej), and on my asking the Jjadaki, C'hangfunchuk, for what i)m-pose they were driven there he replied, " To get food."
" P»ut." said I, " they cannot eat stones or earth.'
" No, Sahih, they eat grass."
" J:5ut they cannot find grass there."
" Oh, yes, Sahih, there is grass between the stones."
The mountain-side was rocky, and I could perceive no green thing, hut the Tibetan shee]> were used to scanty fare and eoidd subsist in winter on these bleak mountains.
Xiagzu was I\assoula's " warm spot." The place was sheltered from the cold west wind by high mountains, and we found a fairly level piece of turfy ground hemmed in on three sides by low trees and tall brushwood so as to f(jrm an excellent camping-groimd. In a short time we liad collected a large rpiantity of dry brushwood and roots of trees, and all hands indulged in the luxui-y of large camp fires. Since leaving Tankse on June ist (five months before) we had found no fuel but boortza and dung, which barely sufficed for cooking purposes.
EFFECT OF COLD OX CORD I IF.. 95
and we now had iiiispcakahir ddi^^dit in stretching' our- selves at full Icn^'th on the lurf ifro/.cn hard as a rock, l)ut still turt'l in front of a hlazin*,' tire of f^enuine crack- ling' blocks of wood, h'or a time we forgot we wen^ at an altitude of 15,000 feet, on November 1st, but with the temperature at zero Y . we came back to realities. A\'e re<|uired thick fur coats, and at night we l)etook ourselves to oar much prized sleeping-bags, which left only the face exposed to the frost.
On the mountain-side opposite our camp we saw a large mnnbei- of ram chicore, which kept calling in the most pi'ovoking manner, hut all efforts to get near these tootlisome l)irds with a shot-gun proved abortive. How- ever, C'hangfunchuk succeeded i?i bringing one down with his carbine.
In the really cold weather the cordite used tor the carbines was so useless that we gave up attempting to shoot. Close to Camp 75 Pike tried to shoot an antelope, but utterly failed, no less than six bullets having dropped to the ground within lifty yards of him. The only purpose to which the cordite could be put in such circum- stances was to kill exhausted mules and ponies.
At length the iiUtkum men and baggage animals arrived, and we were able to resimie our journey. There were still two waterless camjiing-grounds before us, l)ut at these places barley and chopped straw had been stored ready foi' our animals, and water was obtained from fresh- fallen snow .
The severity of the weather incivased the demand foi- medicines, but sometimi^s these wen* asked for when ipiite unnecessary. The old Sikh, Tara Singh, was the hrst to feign illness by a forced and fre(pient cough ; his example was followt>d with amioymg rapidity, and vi;4(M-ous renu>(lies became necessai'y. .\fter it was made <juite clear that there was no real malady in the cam[> the
96 /X TinET AXn CIlIXESli TIKKESTAX.
(lispensiiiff of drugs ceased, and an order was issued allowing for each man's restoration to health a period of twenty-four hours, after whieh a heavy fine would be miposed for every cough that N\as heard. This remedy was more effective than all drugs and eui'ed the eani]) with marvellous rapidity.
After a long and tiring march, in which we had to cross a pass, high but not difficult, we reached the valley in which Lutkum stands. During the greater part of the last day's march I rode Pike's pony, which he very generously gave me, as I was rather used up, and when it was drawing near to seven o'clock in the evening we entered the village. A great supply of boortza had been collected for us, and other stores were in readiness, but we had to wait for about an hour till we heard the salaam- ing which betokened the n:ieeting of our Arguns with their fellow-countrymen, and the arrival of our diminished caravan.
Of the sixty-six animals with which we had set out from Leh no less than sixty had fallen victims to the hardships of the journe}', or had been stolen by the Chukpas. The remaining six were fit for no greater load than a few of the men's sheepskin coats, and with that they could only crawl slowly along. So hiw had their vitality been reduced by privation, that for several days they could not eat anything like a satisfactory quantity of the grass or barley, which was now offered them in abundance.
The provisions which we carried for the caravan — suttoo, fi(jur, rice, and bread — lasted till the day of our retui'n. Since the iHth of June, when w'e crossed the Lanak I^a, our caravan had travelled 770 miles, of which I had walked more than half. I had still to reach Leh to complete the journey, but there was no longer the need for pedestrian exercise, as the Wazir, Bishun Dass,
SCENK NEAli TIIK AN I.A (I'ASS). S
Till'. ZOJI I. A l\ WIXTER. 99
vt'Tv kindly li;ul scnl a cliaprassio to meet us and make the lu'ct'ssaiv airanjrements. Fortunately very little snow had fallen on tlie Chan^' La, and havinf,' easily surmounted this pass, we readied Leh on Novemher IHth.
I spent a lew days in resting and payinfj off the caravan men, and when all l)usiness relatinp; to the expedition had been accomplished, I reluctantly said goodbye to Arnold Pike, wlio, for the purpose of sport, had determined to spend the winter in Ladak. His (,'enial society had been a source of great enjoyment dui'ing the expedition, and to his indefatigable energ\ and hearty co-operation I was largely indebted for success. l')Ul for his care and skill the natural history and bola s[)eciniens whicii we picked up would have fart-d badly. In addition to rendering such assistance, he had acted as quarter-nuister, and had, besides, been always eager to reconnoitre, evt-n at times when labouring under physical weakness. He had resolved to remain in La(bik — ^I had to rejoin my regiment ; so with a hearty lian(lsli;il<e we jmrtcd com- pany and 1 set out foi- Srinagar.
There were reports of an early snowfall on the Zoji La. and while I was delayed at l>ias twenty inches of snow h'll. When the weatlu'r had cleared 1 set out with coolies lightly laden, and four men to act as guides and make a track through the snow. ()ur progress was at the rate of about a mile an bom', and it took us four days to ti-avel to Haltal, a journey of .'U miles, whicii in summer I had accomplished in a single day. The pass, we found, was closed even to mail rumiei-s. and a number of wretchedly clad women and children from J^altistan. who were waiting to cross, attached themselves to my jiaity. 'i'he worst day's march wa-^ from Mechuhoi to Haltal. during which we were imp(>ded by a strong w ind which blew the fine frozen snow in our faces. Accompanied by l^eno. Utani Singh, and a man from Pras. T had set out earlv
loo /.y Tinr.T .wn ciiim-.se rrRKiisTAX.
from tlie rest-houKc at Mechuhoi ahead of tlu' coolieK, and after some hours of weary plodding throu^di the snow 1 reached the top of the pass. Tliere I ahnost stumhled over the bod}' of a Sepoy who liad l)een frozen to death. I learned afterwards that my men had noticed him the day before pushing on from Mechuhoi, and had en- deavoured to recall him. The poor man, clothed in the thinnest rags, had evidently reached the spot after dark, and before attempting to descend the steep snowy slope had sat down to rest. He had removed one puttie, and had partially removed the other, and then had been over- taken by the fatal sleep. The snowfall not having been as yet sufHcient to fill up the bottom of the narrow gorge, and bridge over the rushing stream, we had to cut steps for ourselves on the steep sides of the ravine — an un- pleasant task in the face of the cold wind. "We reached l^altal without mishap to any of my party, but one of the Ijaltis who had joined our coolies was frozen to death while being carried across the pass.
At Baltal I expected to spend the night with less discomfort than 1 had experienced at Mechuhoi. The key of the apartment reserved for I'.uropeans visiting the rest-house had been entrusted to a postal ])aroga, or overseer of mail-runners, but he had unaccountably returned it to Kiislmiir. 1 liad to rest in the large room in comi)any with coolies, servants, mail-runners, Baltis, and a couple of Kaskmiris who had been sent from Srinagar with some luxuries for me. It was the 11th of December when I reached Srinagar, so altered in appear- ance that my own friends failed to recognise me. Thence I travelled to Kawal Pindi in a "tonga,"' or stage-cart, specially adapted for steep gradients and sharp curves, and from Rawal Pindi I travelled by rail to Undjalla, where my regiment was quartered.
CHAPTER VTI
Preparations at Srinaj,'ar — Start from IJandipoora — Trouble with Khalik — Trial of Klialik— Stay at Gilgit — Hun/a — Mutinous pon.v men — JouriU'.v to the Pamirs^Frost-bitten — DitHcultv of sur- veying,' in winter — Trouble with natives — Visit to Cobbold.
LIlvIO other J>ritisli ol'lictTs siiiittcii with tlu' exploration fever, I had liad (htliciilty in ohtainiii;^ sut'tk-icnt leave of absence from my n';^Mment, l)ut in Marcli, 1MU7, o\vin<f to tnmble.s arising' from an unhealthy liver, I found it necessary to n si^m my connnission and (juil India for ^'ood.
The imme(hate jmrpose of the lirst portion of this journey for which 1 now prepared, was the exploiation and careful stirvey of that part of the valley of the Yarkand Kiver extending' from the west end of Kaskam to the nei<,ddjourhood of Yarkand. The most recent map of this region with wliich I was provided was Lonl Ctu'zon's, published in the Cieo^fraphical -Journal for July, lS'.)(). On this cai"efully compiled map. showing the Pamirs and adjacent I'ountry, a lon^' stretch of the Yarkand Kiver is re[)resent(.'d by dotted lines whose general direction is about north-north-east, and 1 resolved to investigate what truth there was in this doubtful representation. Some lOuropeans had crossed the river at Langar, and Gronibchefsky had crossed it at Sanglash, but no other traveller had followed its course below the west end ol' Kaskam. ~ For the purpose of this investiga-
I02 /X TIBET AXD CUIXliSIi Tl'RKESTAX.
tion it was advisable to avoid, if possible, tlu; loiif^ and circuitous route by Leh and Yarkand, and to proceed by the Gilgit-Hunza route to llic Taghdunibash Pamir. Along this route the difficulties oi' transport and supplies were very considerable, and it was doubtful whether the necessary permission would be granted by the Indian Government. The authorities, however, not only acceded to my a})phcation, but also enjoined their officials to render me such assistance as might l)e witliin their power, so that I had the prospect of being able to com- mence survey work innnediately after crossnig the frontiei', and of achieving niy lirst purpose before any great fall of snow could retard operations.
For this, as for the earlier expedition, caravan prepara- tions had to be made at Srinagar, but as it was my intention to winter in Turkestan and enter Tibet from the north in the following summer, the preliminary work was on a much smaller scale than in 1896.
Owing to the demand for troops for the Tirah Field Force then being mobilised, I was deprived of a companion who had intended joining the expedition, but, fortunately, W. V. C()l)l)()l(l, late of the (30th Rifles, who was then in Srinagar, obtained leave and became my fellow-traveller as far as the Taghdunibash Pamir. The assistant- surveyor, formerly lent to me by the Indian Survey Department, had been murdered during an expedition undertaken by Pottinger, but a fresh man, Dalbir Rai, trained at Dehra Dun, was now supplied. As my con- nection with the army and the Government of India had ceased, I was at a loss for a young and trustworthy man to act as orderly. Many old pensioners from native regiments could easily have been procured, but youth was as essential as staunchness. Wiiile dining one night with the 8rd Madras Lancers at Secunderabad I happened to mention the matter, and the connnauding officer, Major
PREPARATIONS AT SRI N AGAR.
lO'
Jones, said tliat lie liad in his regiment an excellent fellow who might volunteer. When I asked the youth whether he would join me, he replied at once, " I will go with you to Kabul, Lhasa, or Pekin," rendering further parley unnecessary. The man was named Naik Abdul Karim ;
\iN iii;iii;i;i,\ , Ar.i'n. kmii.m.
he was a Cliinaman, a native of \'iiniuni, wliciire he had wandered through Lhasa and Nepal to India. The permission of the Military Department was obtaiiud. and the oi-dei-l\- joiikmI nu^ at Srinagar a few days before i started. Other huiuIxts hI' the pmiy wcic I 'ass, the e()()]< : I'taiii Siii^ii, the t-ollet-tdr ; Alxlul Kiialik, the
104 i.y Tiiuir ASP cniM-.sii rrRKEsr.w.
canivjin baslii ; ami tivr other Ar^uns, lour ol' whom had accompanied mo on the foinuT joiirm v.
()\vin»( to the demand ior transport animals for the Tirah Campai^Mi. ponies or mules tit for my purpose were dirtieult to find in Siina^Mr. There was no scarcity of old and useless animals, for which the owners asked fancy prices, and scores of these had to be rejected before thirteen ponies of lair ijuality could be secured. On my bi'half an arran^qjement was kindly made at Bandipur by Major Yeildinf^, the comnlissariat and transport ollicer on special duty in Kashmir, for twenty-five ponies for at least six months, from Shukur. a native of Ast(jr. The averaife native of the East, however, does not hesitate to ^^o back on his bar^Min if it seems convenient to do so, though he rightly cjnsidars such a proceeding disgraceful in a Sahib. . Of the ponies supplied by Shukur none were of the prescribed standard and condition, and only a few were fit for a lengthened journey. For a time there was a difficulty in procuring pack saddles, which the caravan l^ashi asserted amounted almost to an impossibility, but eventually wooden ones were obtained from J)ras.
Having seen Ivhalik and the jxMiies set out on tlus road U) Bandipur, the starting-point tor Gilgit, it was with great pleasure that on September loth I left Srinagar, and floated down stream in a dunga, or native house-boat. Next morning, suffering from the stings of vicious mosquitoes, I reached l^andipur, where Khalik and the ponies were waiting, but the la/y bashi had done nothing towards having the new saddles fitted to the ponies, two of which had slight sores on the back, so that I had to ask Major Yeilding for a couple of substitutes. Profiting by ex- perience acquired in my first journey, T determined not only to weigh every package, but to have the packages arranged in almost equal loads of about two maunds or 1()() lbs. each. The caravan bashi is usually instructed to
J /'/./:. is.iXT cvc.v/'k')'. 105
make arrau'reiiicnts (bandarbast karna' and tbc result is rather a lesseninj^^ (»t' bis own work than a satisfactory distril)iition of the packages. My proceedings now were contrary to custom, and KhaHk, evidently resenting the innovation, became quite sulky. For the labour under- gone by myself in this matter I was abundantly repaid during the journey. The work was properly done once for all, instead of having to be repeated in an unsatisfactory manner before every march, and the risks of loads slipi^ing off was reduced to a minimum. Our thirty-three baggage animals on leaving Bandi[)ui- carried a total weight of nearly two and ont'-tliird tons, mostly of tlour, rice, and corn, so that we expected to be nearly independent of local supplies till we reached Turkestan. After a busy morning I saw the last of the ponies loaded and on its way by half-past one ; then I went to Major Yeilding's bungalow, a couple of miles from the village, and once more enjoyed tlie cheerful company of this hospitable family who had freely helped me in the all important matter of transport. Climbing a zigzag road from wliich excellent views of the ])ictures(jue valley beneath and the adjacent pine-clad mountains were obtained, 1 leached the small rest-house of Tragbal about eight o'clock in the evening, and found Cobbold waiting for my arrival. Tlie cool, bracing air provided a delightful change from the lu)t. moist climate of Srinagar, while the scenery, enlivened by the wild flowers scattered about the Tragbal Pass, and by clear rivers flowing in the distance, made us more thoroughly enjoy this pleasant count i-y.
It was not loJig before complaints were made to me against Khalik, the caravan bashi. who was all(>ged to have defi'auded his namesake. Cobbohrs factotum, of about forty rupees. Though Khalik had bi'cn reconnnended to me as an excellent man for supervising others, my own experience of him had led me to a dilTerent opinion, and
1 06 /X T^//)'/-; '/■ J.\7) C If/X/'.S/i / Y 7v' K/iS 'l\ I .V. ■
there seemed no room for doubt as to his dishonesty. However, as it would have been inconvenient to brin<,' matters to a crisis while we were en route to Gilgit, I pretended to be ignorant of his misdeeds, even though Abdul Karim offered to enlighten me on the subject. Natives have generally a clearer insight into each other's characters than Europeans possess, and have generally better opportunities for arriving at a correct opinion. J, thcrcrorc, when on tlie march to Astor, took advantage of Ai)dul Karim's presence alone with me and spoke of Khalik's charactcM'.
" Well, Abdul Karim, what do you thiidvof the caravan bashi'.' "
'•Sahib, he is a very bad man and a great thief; l<ill him, Sahib, at once, and there will be no more trouble." Seeing that 1 did not at once concur, he added. " Tf you do not like to kill him, give me the order ; I shall kill him at once, and then you will have no more trouble."
Abdul's metliod of dealing with the delinquent was more severe than any L had considered, and did not obtain my approval, but, as I did not wish to extinguish completely the zeal of iii>' orderly, I only I'eiiiarked that, as we were still on British territory, it, would be better not to act on his advice just at present. Klialik was cordially hated as well as dreaded by several of his fellow-countrymen, who offered convincing evidence of his evil doings. He was apparently quite ignorant of the dislike with which he was regarded, and when we came to Dak Pari, the last rest-house on the way to Gilgit. he openly denounced and abused me in the presence of all my follow^ers and the few Dak men, or mail-runners, who iiibabited the place. He asserted that his Sahib was a miserable cur, who had himself meanly purchased the few ponies which belonged to his section of the caravan, and had even bought the
TROUBLE WIT 1 1 MIDVL KJIALIK.
107
provisions for the journey, '^riic point of the grievance was that the caravan bashi IkuI liocn unable to make sucli iUicit gains as he professed to have made when in the service of others, whom, according to'his own shewing he had defrauded of forty or fifty rupees a day. KhaHk's ways were now clearly intolerable, and a few hours after we had reached Gilgit, he was safely housed in gaol on a charge of robberv and fraud. This incident was in itself
AHUi;sT oi' Ai;i)i 1. khai.ik.
exceedmgly disagreeal,)l(', and i( iiiaiitHl my enjoynienL of the otherwise cheerful conchtions of my stay at Gilgit. The Wazir, or native Governor, Mohannned Akltai' Kliau. was well acquainted with K'haHk's antecedents, but never- theless devoted the b(>si p;iri (it three days in a painstaking ami im])aitial investigation of the charges now brought against biiii. 'Wxc resuh \va^ tlie ]-)risoner was convicted and coudtiiiiicd to twelvi' months" imprisonment with
io8 /.\' TIBET AXD CHIXESE TCRKESTAN.
hard labour, a sentence which was afterwards considerably mitigated. In the midst of unavailing protestations, Khalik was photographed with shackles on, and, in his bitter resentment, he vowed that I should receive the same measure as Dagleish, who ha-d been murdered by Dad Mohammed near the Karakoram Pass.
At Dak Pari, Cobbold had suffered from an attack of blood poisoning and had been carried thence to Gilgit
P"^
MY I'ATHAX PONY MEN.
where wo were hospitably received by the Political Agent, Captain A. II. MacMahon, CS.L, CLE., and by Mrs. MacMahon, who had a most luxurious camp pitched for us in the delightfully cool shade of a large clump of trees a little below the Agency. The open-handed hospitality displayed was most generous in a country where every- thing but meat and milk has to be brought from India, on baggage animals during the few months in which the
.u('7vxo['s rox)' .vz-y. 109
passes are practicable. To sup})ly tlie place of some use- less ponies, we obtained at Gilgit ten fine mules and two ponies on a six months' agreement with ISIohannned Amin, a wiry old Pathan, who proved as great an acquisition as his three fellow-countrymen, who did nearly all the heavy work of this section of the caravan. From Gilgit to Baltit, the capital of Hunza, and a picturesque village, we had the company of Captain MacMahon, and of Captain Roberts, the Agency Surgeon, who, having been present at the capture of Nilt, took us round th(^ place and pointed out the objects of special interest.
At Baltit the Astor pony men who, a few weeks before, had clamoured for employment during the winter months, now became openly mutinous, and refused to proceed further on any conditions. The matter was reported to the Political Agent, and under the pressure which he could bring to bear the men yielded, but sulked and lied freely concerning me.
We were tempted to delay a few days, for the sake of Captain MacMahon's company as far as the Kilik Pass, whither he was going on a tour of inspection, but llu- season was now well advanced, and we deemed it advis- able to set out at once so as to reach the Taghdumbash Pamir before the ])asses were encumbered with snow. A short distance beyond l'>;iltit llic track became nanower, and often so steep and stony as to be iiii))i miicable for laden ])onies, so that it was necessary feu a time to transfer all tlic baggage to the coolies. The journey to the Pamirs, however, was accomplished williout any more serious mishap than the death of one pony, and the fall of another laden with ilour. into a deej) watci- hole with a soft, muddy bottom with which the driver also, in consideration (^f his neglect, was reijinred to make accpiaintance. The Astoris continued to be troul)lest)me. and it was with great joy that we beheld the approach of several Kirghiz with
MO /.\' TiiuiT .i.\7) cffixr.sn rcRK/isr.ix.
numerous yak and ponies for our baggage. 1 was now- resolved to dispense with the services of the Astoris, and, knowing their contemptible character, I took the pre- caution of paying them in the presence of iMohammed Aniin and his Pathans, as well as other witnesses, giving them, in addition, a small gi'atuity, providing them also
\ j:
^#' '^/■'^
5^>:
%
S^»
HAD 'ntACIC IN UlN/A.
with tlie letter of discharge without which they could not proceed beyond Baltit, and making them the bearers of a letter to Captain MacMahon, in which it was stated that they had been paid oft". Yet, on reaching Gilgit on their way home, tlicy freely accused me of having sent them hack unpaid.
A /'/j-.is.i.vT .]//■:/■: 77. VG.
1 1 1
Soon after reaching' Sluruii Muiduii, tlu> last halting- place on the south side of the Kilii< Pass, we were agree- ably surprised at meeting Isidore Morse, an American, who had left Ladak early in the summer in search of wild sheep (ovis Poli). His description of the excellent and varied big-game shooting in the Hi Rich district so excited Cobhold, that as soon as possible he applied for and obtained from M. Petrovsky, the Russian Consul-General
KWMITS CAKKVIMi l!A<iii\(lK 11' A IMlKlU'ICi;.
at Kashgar, the necessary jxTuiissioii to tra\tl in that land of promise.
Very fortunately there was but little snow on the Kilik Pass, which we crossed on C)ctohcr !i()th. and ncme in the Taghdunihash I'ainir. whcic wc |>iich('(l uui' tirst camp not fai- from the Kiiktcruk nullah at an altitude of l."5,Ur)(_) feet. So long a tinu' had I'lapsml since our setting out from Gilgit that we could not place much reliance on
112 /.y rir^ET Axn ciiim-.sh tirki-.stax.
tlie longitude l:)rouglit up hy tlii' (.•liroiiometers, uiid 1 resolved to determine the longitude of Cani}) 1 by triangu- lation from some of the peaks fixed liy tlic Taniir lioniidary Commission.
For this purpose sites i'oi' hill stations had to be selected, but, owing to the severity of the weather, I was unable to reach the elevation I wished.
The day after we reached the Taghdumbash Pamir, Cobbold, who was not an enthusiast in the work of surveying, set off in seai'ch of the ovia Poll, which were plentiful in the Kukteruk nullah, but these animals were so unconnnonly wary that I declined to waste much time in their pursuit, and moved towards Ujabadi, rejoining my companion on the route.
This was the more necessary as on the latest map of this part of the country our present locality was repre- sented incorrectly, and it was indispensable for topo- graphical work that we should have good values for the longitude of our encampment. The requisite operation is exceedingly simple in theory, but, owing in great measure to difticulties arising from the lateness of the season, I found it troublesome in practice. By the end of October, when work was well begun at Hill Station "A," Al ,(\^)^ feet in height, near Mazar Sultan, there was too niuch snow and tlie wind was too strong anil biting to permit the erection of the theodolite at the most suitable places. There was also very great difficulty in identifying the points which had to be observed. All of them had been fixed by Colonel Wahab from the west, from which quarter I had never seen them. I was doubtful of my longitude, and my perplexity was increased by the action of the wind, which altered the direction of the ruler on the plane table, aligning it now to one peak, now to another, each apparently as important as any of the others. In fact, to one looking westwards from Hill Station " A," near Mazar
D IFF I CI 'A T S I K I 7: ] 7A Y/. 1 1 3
Sultan, there seemed to l^e an archipelago of peaks, with one exception nearly all about the same height. As the day advanced the wind increased in strength, and, in order to get the observations at this exposed place completed as early in the morning as possible, I twice camped at an altitude of 14,980 feet in a small waterless valley, where there was sutficient snow to make tea with and just sutKcient level ground for. a small tent. Enveloped in huge fur coats, and with the extremities suitably protected from the cold, Dalbir Kai and I mounted a couple of yaks, the theodolite and heliograph being placed on the back of a third yak, and with two Kirghiz t(; urge forward the animals, we commenced the ascent an hour or so before daybreak. The mountain side was covered with shale and a thick layer of large loose stones of various dimen- sions, and so steep was it that we found the continual etibrt to avoid slipping backwards from the saddle exceed- ingly unpleasant. We therefore dismounted and continued the ascent on foot, considerably aided still by the yak, to whose tails we clung pertinaciously. The Kirghiz could not understand the craze \Nhich nnpelled me to climb mountains in winter (it was about the middle of November), and to remain on their summits for hours at a stretch looking through a telescope, but they did their work faithfully, and shewed fewer signs of resentment than did the yak, w liieb now and then could only be urged on by blows, rnfortunately, though we were early at work, the strong wind was as early, and wc found it very dithcult to make observations. The observer was now and then blown against the theodolite, and the tail of his fur coat swept against the stand, and the alignment again and again disturbed. The altitude and the wind (o^^ether made it dithcult for J)albir Kai to hear my shouting of the entries he should make in the angle book, and the work was delayed i)y the necessity of repeating the entries to
9
114 ^y rinr/r Axn ciiixese rrRKusiwx.
civoid mistakes. The work, however, was completed, liehographic signals from stations in the valley were observed, and replies were sent, the theodolite was packed up, the yaks loaded, and a large pillar was erected to mark the spot for observation from tlio lower stations; then we gladly returned to the camp in tlic valley.
The result, 1 may add, was very satisfactory, but it was accomplished at the cost of frostbitten fingers. The hill station was at an altitude of about 16,880 feet.
It was evident that the Kirghiz and Tajiks of Oprang, Ujadbai. and its vicinity were most unwilling that I should travel to that part of the valley of the Yarkand Kiver known as Kaskam, their allegation being tlmt tlie roads had been rendered impassable by eartliquakes a few years before, and that no one ever used them now. After a short time, a Tajik was found who undertook to accompany Changfunchuk, one of my men, whom I detailed to inspect the route as far as the Yarkand Kiver and return to Mazar Sultan with his report. While this investigation was being carried out, 1 set about the removal of my camp to Dprang, at the junction of the river and the valley which descends from the Oprang Pass. Cobbold had gone to that neigh liourl mod in ijuest of sliikar, but, in liis directions for my guidance, he had underestimated the distance from Mazar Sultan. In the forenoon 1 despatched the few men and baggage animals re(]uired at the new camp, but, witii Dalbir Kai, remained behind till nearly four o'clock to complete the triangula- tion. Tlie man in charge of the pony carrying the theodolite, preferred to go back to a ford which he knew near Mazar Sultan, rather than trust to the discovery of one higher up the stream, while Dalbir and I were taken by a guide along a more direct route. At the ford the river had l:)een partially dannned by ice which w^as not stronii enough to bear the weii^ht of a mounted man.
TROrill.l: 11/ I'll \. \ Tl I 7-;.S. 1 1 5
The ^uidr, f,'oin^ on in front, niacU- Ins puny smash throuj^fli the ice. and thus })r('pare(l an easier passage for me. JJalbir Kuis pony, however, hein^' allowed io take his own c(jurse, mounted on tlie ice which I)i-()ke up into large patches, swaying under their load like planks ni a rough sea. Dalhir Ivai seemed a tender, sensitive man who had not suflicient strength of will for the guidance even of a pony. When I remonstrated with him for not taking the prepared course, he thought it a sufficient reply that the pony wished to go another way, and he evidently felt aggrieved at my remarks. 1 did not reach Oprang till about half-past eight in tlie evening : hut two of the men, over-confident in their ability to hnd the route, were quite belated, one of them having to spend the night in the open air, while the other was sheltered by some Kirghiz.
A few days were devoted to sport in the neighbourhood of the Kungerab Pass, where shikar were plentiful, and, in the meantime, Islam, aliadaki. was sent to reconnoitre the route via the Oprang Pass tn Kaskam. There had again been difficulty ni fnuHii^ a man to accompany the Ladaki, the stereoty])ed reason, tjiat llie route had been destroyed by eartlujuakes, being strengthened l)y the rumour that neither grass nor fuel could he found there. The opposition of the Tajiks made inc tlie more de- termined to go to the west end of Kaskam. and eventually a native was found to accompany Tslaiu. The etforts of this guide seemed less directed to tinding whcilicr ilie route was open than to ])i(i\ing that it was not ; but Islam remained faithful, and at length brought back the welcome news that thi' route was pt-rfectly easv. with plenty of grass and fuel as far as Issok Ihdok (Hot Sprnigs), the furthest |M>nil be bad been rtM|uired to reach.
('ii.\I'ti:k \iii
Kartlujuakcs — luiskam — Fording Yarkanil llivcr — ]}a/ar ])ara — Approach to Kukalung Pass — Zad— Kecrossing Kukalung Pass — Camp at 16.000 feet — Incorrect maps — l)escriptioii of country — Illness of Dalbir Kai — Approach to Sandal Dawan — Bivou- acking on mountain-side — Dysentery -Easy marches — Arrival at Yarkand.
T^^' tliis time, however, Chungfuncliuk liad reported that ^ ^ the Ihsu route, thoui,'h beset with greater diliiciUties than that by Issok Bulok, was quite practicable. Con- sequently I had a choice of routes, and a comparison of their respective advantages led me to choose that which Changfimchuk had investigated. Its merit was that it led to the west end oH Kaskani, and would save two days" march as compared with the Issok Bidok route. The Tajiks, perceiving that I was not to be de- terred by false reports, began to yield, and. while alleging dread of eartlujuakes, sup[)lied me w ith transport Init no guides.'
'■'■'■ Public orders had Ijcen issued by the Taotai at Kashgar not only that no opposition was to be oflered to me on my journey, but that every assistance was to be rendered to enable me to travel wherever I wished. ]}ut it was subseciucntly ascertained that, secret orders had been given to the Ciiow-Kuan at Tashkurghan canceUing the puVjlic orders, and enjoining that I should Ijc dissuaded by reports of i-oads blocked by landslips caused by earthquakes, but that, if I proved obstinate and resolved to proceed to Raskam, transport might be supplied, but no guides on any account.
/■:.\/<7'//o('.\K/:s.
1 1
It curiously happciu'd tlmt ut Jlisu two sliocks of eartli- quake occurred on the nif,'lit of November lUth, and one on the following; iiioiiiiiiLr. Very soon after the first two were felt, a lar^'e deputation of Tajiks, with their head- men, came to my tent and, f^reetin*,' me with the expected " we told you so," \'c., begged me to desist from a journey which was sure to end in disaster. When they had finished their entreaties, I complained of the annoyance
TOP OK Tin: ii.isr i-ass.
they causfd by their wanton iiilcrriipt inn of ni\' night's r(>st, reijuestiiij^ them to leave me in ])eaee and assui'ing tli( 111 that I ^liould travel to the Yiirkand Kiver by the route that I had chosen. The men. evidently much suri>i'ised at the nature of my reply, left me to enjoy my slumbers.
The ascent t<> the llisu or lli^hsu Pass from the Taghdumbash Tamir is exceedingly stony, and, near the sunnnit. very steep, though the descent into the Taldc
I IS /.\- rini:r .\\n ciiim'.si-. ■/(/</< us tax.
Kol Su viilU'V provfil (.(•mpiiriitivt'ly easy. It was in this valk'v that I first hocaiuc acciuaintt'd with thr distinctive features of the re<,non. J^old. riif,'i,'ed mountains, absohitely barren and, as a rule, so precipitous as to be within very few de<,a'ees of the vertical, towered above us on either side to a consideraljle lieij^'ht. The winter sun in many phices c(nild scarcely reach the boltinii of tlu- valK-y. and, wliere it did, it was only for a little while. At such spots we turned the animals loose (as at Ilak \\ ydi; that they mii,dit search for food. The grass at Gezuk was short, here it was long and coarse of the sort called kamish, but so dry as t(j be of little value. The lower })ortion of the valley was choked up with jungle, and in many places tliere was ice which had to be roughened or overspread with earth to hi' rendered passable for the baggage animals. I'mm the gorge which forms tlie mouth of this valley we entered the Kaskam valley which, only a few years before, owing to the dei)redations of the Kanjuts, was forbidden ground to l^ritish travellers. I believe that Messrs. Church and Phelps were the only ]^)ritish travellers who had ever passed through the valley, and the fact that this was, in a manner, virgin soil, rendered this portion of my journey the more interesting. I-'rom the opposite bank of the Yarkand or Kaskam I )aria. as the river is called at Sarok Kamish, there is a well-marked trail leachng up to Topa Dawan, and thence by a series of exceedingly steep zigzags into a very narrow and deep valley in which there is plenty of jungle. It was in this (hrection that I was most anxious to proceet], but the ivnite had to be abandoned, as the men with th<' hired transport not only denied all know- ledge of it. but fiatly refused to accompany me in any other direction than that to Bazar l^ara. At the east end of Sarok Kannsh, the mountains on the left bank of the Yarkand Kiver were .so steep as to be quite inaccessible
A'./\A'./.I/.
119
to one burdoncd with a lai-f^e theodolite, and I had to content myself with those on the right l)ank whicli, thouf^h not so steep, were too low to afford a view of the peaks fixed from the nei<,dil)ourhood of ^Slazar Sultan. Tlie tract known as Kaskam, is that portion of the
■*.
"^1
SCKNE IX VAI.l.l.V I'K TICK TAI-I>K K
valley of the Yarkand River stn^tehinj,' from Razar Para, a small fort at the month of the I)o/.ak l>ara Sii, westwards to the jioint where the ii\ir turns sharply to the north. Thr uiiiidialtitt'd valley is hounded hy stei'j) and loftv mountains, utterly harren, and with the exception of tiie Miskan dilj^a, a small valk-y to the north of Topa I>awun.
I20 /.V TH'I'T AM) CHIXESE TCKKF.STAX.
where there is ;i htllc lultiviition. Jind ;i tew spots of which Azj:jar ami Kuktash are the more important, the whole valley is unfit for cultivation. A few hundred yards east of Azf,'ar the valley is very narrow, hut opens out a little near Surukwat, or Karaul, where there are small trees and a patch of good short grass. This spot, situated in a semicircular depression hetween the river and a series of cliffs almost all vertical, forms a con- venient camping ground. A short distance heyond, the valley again resumes its gorge-like aspect. 13y far the widest portion of liaskam is at Chiung Jangle (Large Jungle), where the bottom of the vailcv coiif aius Idw dense jungle but little grass.
The Mir of Hunza and the Kanjuts, as 1 was informed before leaving the Taghdumbash Pamir, laid claim to liaskam, with what justice I cannot say. The eagerness of the Kanjuts to be allowed to return to this barren land, and to resume the cultivation of its few cultivable patches was very remarkable. They believed that by means of irrigation fair crops could be raised, but wlun one thinks of the long distance from Hunza to Kaskam, of the absence of facilities for communication, the miserable foot tracks, and the wide and rapid rivers to l)e crossed, it is only fair to assume that these brave and hardy men were influenced by a strong attachment to tlieir ancient home.
The march from Surukwat to Bazar Dara, though only about ten miles, took a long time to accomplish owing to the necessity of fording the river repeatedly. The di[)th of the watei". the strength of the current, and the stonj' nature of the bottom made it difficult for the mules and ponies to keep their footing. On December 5, 1807, there was a margin <>f very thick and slippery ice extending for some yards from each bank. The man who, for the time, was acting as guide, and whose duty
FORPIXC YJRK.W/^ Rfl'/iR. 121
it was to find where the river could he most cr)nveniently forded, h;id ;i l><iiiy whieh was ([iiite accustomed to the ice. The t^'uidc thou^dit nothinfj of tlie (httioulties of those wlio were less satisfactorily mounted, hut holdlj' crossed the river wherever he chanced to meet it. The pony, freed from the rider's weif,dit, kept Ids feet on the ice at the near side of tlie river ; then he carried his master across the channel where there was no ice, fjave him a lift on to the ice at the further side, and scnnnhliiiL: u)) without much dilHiculty reached tertui jirnia heyond. This pro- ci'dure may have heen adminihle in itself, hut it was not wiuit was riMjuired in the leader of a mixed company like ours, and our inconsiderate <:^uide was deposed, Kaju. the caravan haslii, and 1 undertaking' the work. \\'ith lon<,' sticks we ascertained the depth of the channel and the naturi* of its hed. When the place seemed suitahle, we recpiisitiijned the services of tlie quondam ^uiide in clearin*,' away the ice with a pick-axe from tlie hank to the open channel of the stream. Then we despatched two nu'n on horsehack to the further hank and there a similar operation was carried out, the ponies haviuf,' been sent hack for further joails, half-frozen, with their tails decked with loii^' icicles that jinj^ded and rattli'd at evj'rv movement. The yaks. too. after crossin^f. sparkled uith the countless icic-jes which hun^ from their lon;^ hair and tails, hut these animals, unlike the j)onies, seemed indilTerent to the cold.
Quite close to Iryar in this valley, the route was very ditVicult. The track was narrow, alon^,' the edfje of steep clitTs, and (tiie of the ponies, having' lost its footinj,'. fell to the ro(d<s helow, where it must hav(> met instan- taneous death. Ainoiiu the packaf,'es with which the animal was laden, were a ha^' of llour encased in a water- proof coviM'in^' whit h was hut little injured, a haj,' of corn wiiich was ^\\\\\v torn u[», and a ho\ containing,', in
122 /.\' TIIUiT AXn CIIIXI'.SI'. rrRKI-.STAX.
addition to JOO rupoi'S in siiiall cluiii^a'. ii miiiilxr i>l' tins of matches. The matches were i^niitid hy the concussion, hut the tins containing' them were so strong and so Hrniiy soldered tiiat none of them hmst. thoiiLili they were hulked out hke halloons.
V'rom Sarok Kaniish 1 had sent foi-ward a nicssen^^T to Bazar Dara on a hagga;.(c pony, to annoiuice my visit to the connnandant of the (.garrison, and when approach- in^f the fort ahmg with Kaju, the caravan hashi, we went on ahead on foot to look for the best course for the caravan to follow. As we advanced we overtook the pony of the messenger which had been left to graze hy the side of the track, and I was about to mount when ]\aju seriously remonstrated with me against such an unscendy pi'oceeding. As the pony had only some rags for a saddle, and a piece of rojjc for a bridle, it seemed to Kaju beneath my dignity and the dignity of the occasion, that I should enter a Chinese stnjnghold with no more sumptuous equipment. The earnest manner in which he protested and urged me to wait for my proper pony was very anuising, and. to his keen satisfaction, 1 ac(piiesced, so that when, soon afterwards, some of the garrison of the small walled enclosure, which the Chinese call a fort, rounded the corner and salaamed to me, 1 was able to respond to their greeting with becoming state. The love of outward show seems supplied in excess by Xatui'e to the Oi'icntal mind.
The garrison at this ]ilac(' nominally consists of twenty Kirghiz: and the I'.cg of Zad, in whose district it stands, receives pay and hxjd for the support of that nund>er; but, in accordance with the usiuil methods of Cliinese othcials, this functionary pockets most of the pay and maintains only a few imarmed men. In most countries flags are not regarded as part of the soldier's armament, but here there appeared to be no military equipment
.\r/'RO.\c/f 70 k'CK.i/.cxc r.iss. 12.^,
whiitt'Vt'i-. cxo'pt til" liir^ff yellow lla;^' wiiicli was lioistcd daily diiiiii;; the lew days of my visit, so lliat this Celestial I'oit may fitly Ix' dcsci-ihcd as ai-iiifd witli a
The valli-y at the mouth of which r.a/ar 1 )ara is situated, well deserves the name of 1 )o/.ok Dara (Diftieult Valley), for it is stony and barren. The pass at its head, the Kukahmfj Pass, thou^di 1(),000 feet hi^di, is not dirticult whiii free from iic hut as we approached it we found the valley in some plaees not more than twenty- five feet wide, and eneumhenMl with slipjiery and slopin^^ ice. Jlere the animals fared very hadly. es])ecially the mules, which quite belied their reputation for sure- footedness, slip[)in<,' and fallinj,' far oftener than any of the ponies. At Tapiii (hat (14,800 feet) we halted for the ni<,dit before crossing' the pass, but there the altitude, the cold wind, and the absence of vefretation made the conditiiins too trying for the ba«,'f,'ar,'e animals. Hasten- ing foiwaid we reached Zad, the largest permanent encam[)ment of Kirghiz, in the Kulan Trgi valley, wiiere we remained a few days, and then, having obtained sonu* fresh yak. we si't out to recross the pass, in order to connect the triangulation with tliat from Ha/ar l)ara. Most of the men and all the mules and ponies wei-e left at Zad to recuperate, while halhir Kai and I, with hass the cook, and Changfunchuk who acted as inlerprett'r, along with two Kirghiz who looked after three yak, re- ascended the slope towards the p.iss. The yak could endure the strain: they are ])aticnt, plodding animals, not sensitive to cold, and. being rmninant. cati without diffit-ulty be without food for a few days.
'J'he work of a surveyor at an altitude of I l.TdDfeet is not in itself atti'active. It retpnres some resolution. wIhmi the thermometer is below zero !•'., to bear exposure duiing the greater part of the day to a strong freezing wind,
IJ4 /•^' '/'I />/■:/' ./.\/) ( 7//.\7-;.s7: /'CR/</-:S7'.\\.
while oil llif iiu>iist;u-lir and l>i'ard icicles Innii, wliicli can only be fjot rid of by nifltinpj before a sun iky tire of diin^f. The work at Tapin Chat was nnd<)ul)tedly tryin;^. luit thai at the pass itself, from 1C),()00 to 17,000 feet in height, was niiu-h more so. On Christmas Day, 1H97, we be<,'an early, and. after measuring a base with the subtense bar, entered on a dil'licult ascent tow'ards a commanding s])ot where Changfunchuk had already enacted a [)illar. The steep slope was slippci'v witli I'lesli-t'allen snow, ami hy the time we had reached tlie pillar and had lixed the theodolite in position, a strong wind had arisi'ii which, with the temperature several degrees Ix-low zero, made observations difficult. A sudden gust wmild impel me against the eye-piece, or blow my coat-tail against the stand of the theodolite, and, unless 1 used a piece of paper or cardboard to screen my face from the instrument when reading the vernier, my beard or moustache in- variably got frozen to the metal. Such matters seem trifling, hut attentinn to thciii f( ndeicd the work slow, while neglect of them retarded it still more. When we had completed these observations, we found it more difticult to descend from this hill station than it had been t(j reach it. We tried a more direct line, l)ut the slope was too steep. There was serious risk of falling down the mountain-side or of spraining the ankle hy treading on the treacherous pieces of shale, and it was necessary to wait till the trusty yaks, managed by one of the sure- footed Kirghiz, had made a series of footholds for our descent.
At the pass there was no fuel to be found, ^^'e had brought two sacks of dung and boortza from Tapin Chat, and this sufficed to make hot tea in the morning and to cook our dinner. ]^>ut the supply we had ordered Mohammed Ainin's men to bring did not arrive, and our operations at the pass w'ere therefore shortened. As soon
/XCOKR/iCT .]/.l/\S. 125
as we had finislu'd tlu' work on liaiid and liad placed tlir iiistniiaents securely on the yak, 1 set out on loot and reached camp in the Kulan Ur^^i valley about ten o'clock in the evening'. Dalbir luii preferred to ride, and was much later. The exposure and privation had been too nuich for Dali)ir Kai, and he became feverish and very unwell. For a time 1 was deprived of his assistance, and in fact he nevtr did recover from the hardships of those days. In this (the third) crossin^^ of the Kukalung Pass, the tube of the full length mercurial barometer was broken, but I had a spare on« in which a few air bubbles had found entrance into the column of mercury. These could not be got rid of by shaking and tapping, but I was able to dispel them by carefully heating the tube over the camj) tiic.
As I became better acquainted with this region, my faith in the only map I had l)ecame weaker, and when I reached Issok J^ulok Agzi in latitude 37° N. and found that I was still two days' march from the Yarkand Uiver. my confidence in the map (juite vanished.
In the neighbourhood of Fortash, 1 made unsuccessful efforts to find an accessibk' peak whence I might obtain a connnanding view of the country we were about to traverse. \\'e discoven-d an eminence which seemed suitable for a hill station, and one of the men whom 1 had trained to the work, lai)oured at the erection of a pillar of stones, but the task was found to be impractic- ai)le. Keturning to Issok ]iulok Agzi, 1 began to take observations of moon culminating stars for longitudi', but this work was sto])[H'd hy bad weather, and, as the season of heavy snowfalls was about to commence, the only course open to me was to si't out for the plains ol Turkestan as speedily as possible.
From Issok Bulok Agzi to Tii-. the largest village in llie Kulan I'rgi \alle\-, and al>oui live miles from its
126 /.\' /v/.v:/" .i.v/) cn/\/:s/i riRKHsr.ix.
junction with the valley of the Yaikand, tiie route lay along the bottom of the valley. Mountains, utterly barren and Um precipitous to be clinibetl, except at one place near Yagzi, rose to a great height on either side. At some places the river was frozen over and we could cross on the ice, but between Issok ISulok Agzi and Vagzi, the current was so rapid that the stream was (^nly partially bridged in this fashion. From a point a little above Yagzi down to the Yarkand Kiver, there are numerous patches of cultiva- tion with apricot trees scattered about. In fact, whcrtNcr cultivation is possible it is carried on.
There were two direct routes from Tir to Yaikand, oni; over the Karamut Ihiwaii, wliicli was said to be execrable owing to the steepness of the rocky sides of the valley; the other by Sandal ])awan, which, in accordamc with the advice of the Yuz Hashi (Head nl a Iliiiidird Men) of Tir, I resolved to follow. The only dil'hculty of whii-h 1 was told in this route, was a slide of bare rock where animals had to be unloaded and hauled up. This obstacle we reached early in the day, and being supplied with a party of villagers for haulage, we set vigorously to work. The task was laborious and tedious, some of the animals were hurt in their struggles, and it was not till dark that wi' succeeded in reaching a fairly open space, some few hundred yards al)ove. This was a cheerless sjiot, called Keshna. at an altitude of 10,000 feet, where we found little grass for the animals, but a sutticiency of fuel and water. The Ww. Hashi having assured us that there was no other serious obstacle on the loute, he and his miMi went l)ack to their homes. Their representations prcned much fairer than tlie truth, for, when we had gone half- way from Keshna to the top of the Sandal Dawan, which is Ki.OOO feet high, we came upon so steep a slope that the animals had to be unloaded and the baggage carried up by the men. Wa had here few hands to do the work, and
Arr/<o.\c/f TO s.\x/).\L n.iw'.w. 127
llu- process was lon^'thy ; l)Ut with this exception the track to the siuiiiiiit, though steep, was on the whole not l)a<l. It faci'd soutliwards. and was free from snow. Looking from the sunnnit northwards, we found a ])eri- lous descent before us. The slope was steep and coven d
*si'
li.Vl'UNU Y.VKS ir A I'HKCirilK XKAIl TIIK S.VMiAI. I.VWAN.
with snow, so that lioth nun and animals luul many a tumble. \\ t iio[)i(l that things would improve wiien we reached lowir ground, but there we had to reckon with very slippery, sloping ice, on which the animals fell and slid for yards together. J^y scattering earth t)ver the ice \M' wi're able by dusk, with the foremost part of the
I2S /.\' TiniiT AXn