Page:The journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London. Volume 34, 1864. (IA s572id13663720).pdf/226

22 voured to ascend, but were unable to do so, owing to a recent five days’ fall of snow.

On the 18th September I went on into Shigar, and thence up a tributary from the eastward for two marches, ascending a peak at its further end. I here came upon a mass of slaty limestone-rocks swarming with encrinites and other palæozoic fossils, the occurrence of which at this place, and near Kashmir as well, seems to elucidate the general geological structure of this portion of the Himalayan chain.

There was yet time for another departure from Shigar; so, starting along the left bank of the river, we followed it upwards for three days, crossed on goat-skins a little above Chutrun, and thence up the Gunto La (or Pass) to Rondu. From this position I obtained fine views up towards the high pass into Nagayr and of the country to the west, which as yet is only known to us by native reports; but the season for surveying was now over.

Preliminary to the survey work of 1861, I had to visit several peaks in the neighbourhood of Skardo; one of these, Thyarlung, a principal trigonometrical station of the Kashmir series, is situated close to the watershed of the Indus on the north, and on the edge of the plains of Deosai; and, though in sight from Skardo, it took me a long round to reach it, as 1 wished to visit the Boorje La (or Pass) on to the road to Kashmir, in order to ascertain its elevation.

On the 7th of July, my camp marched through Skardo and thence to Kŭrpito, a small village at the entrance of the ravine which leads up to the Boorje La. The road up the ravine is good, and the ascent steady, with precipitous spurs of slate-rock on either side; as several coolie-loads were behind, I made a halt at Chogo-chu-mik (the great water-eye, or spring), for at this spot the stream which for full a mile has been buried beneath the talus from the hills, gushes out as pure as crystal.

On the 8th we started early, the road still good. Soon after quitting our camp-station, the birch and junipers were left behind, and the ravine assumed a drearier aspect. Beyond our breakfasting-place, near a frozen snow-bed, the ascent became very fatiguing. After crossing some snow and a rough stony slope beyond, the pass was at last attained, at an elevation of 15,878 ft. or 8800 ft. above the plain of Skardo. From this position there is a commanding view over the Deosai plains, a curious undulating region of round-topped granite hills, encircled by lofty snowy peaks: winding rills, issuing from tarns of emerald-green water, set in snow-beds, are the only other features of this curious scene. Not a bush, nor the slightest trace of vegetation, was to be seen, whilst