Page:The journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London. Volume 34, 1864. (IA s572id13663720).pdf/240

36 responding to 17,301 ft.), and other observations taken, all the peaks around had become quite obscured. The Pass was distant about 500 ft. above our turning-point; we had to beat a hasty retreat down towards Chiring, the snow falling fast. The glacier was making most disagreeable noises—crunching, splitting, and groaning to an awful extent—caused by the vast body of ice, 2 miles across, here forcing itself through a channel only a quarter of a mile broad, and with an increased slope. The only other European who had tried the Mustakh Pass was M. Schlagintweit, who was equally unsuccessful, clouds having driven him back, as they did in my case. I had gone as far as was necessary towards the parting ridge; still, I should have liked to have crossed the Pass; but want of time, there still being much work to be done, prevented another attempt. My great object had been to get a march along the glacier, and determine the ridges on the northern side. This is quite feasible, and with a small guard the survey might be carried into the Yarkund country for a considerable distance, as, from all the accounts I heard of the tribes, their numbers cannot be great, nor their matchlocks much to be dreaded. It was in a disappointed mood that I left Chiring for Punmah. We passed the night at our former camping-place, Skeenmŭng, and the next day made a short march to Shingchukpi. As most of those who had gone up the Mustakh Glacier had sore eyes afterwards, it was advisable to keep quiet for a day.

The following day, instead of taking the path by which we had come up, I followed the line of moraines on the left bank, the whole way to Punmah. The day being fine and clear, the splendid peaks known in the Survey as Trans-Indus, No. 2, and B. No. 15, were in full view, running up into perfect needles of rock when seen from this side. Up the glacier the view was backed by the peaks that overhung the Nobŭndi Sobŭndi. By evening we reached our old camping-spot at Tsok, and bid good-bye to Punmah and its splendid glacier.

We were now bound for the other main tributary of the Braldoh river, which unites with the Punmah branch some 2 miles above the Glacier of Biafo, and which is called the Biaho River. Thanks to the Shikaries of Askolè a secure rope-bridge spans the torrent at a spot called Dumordo, which we crossed on the morning of the 15th.

Our first halt was at a spot called Burdomŭl, at the commencement of some ugly slopes of clay and stones, having deep gullies cut through them from the ravines above. At times these are the lines of watercourses; now they were all dry. The sides of these gullies were very steep, so that we had to cut out steps in order to cross them. The men also had long staffs, with a short cross-piece of ibex-horn at the end, which the Shikaries of these valleys always