Mountain Journeys 145 



energy, not only to drag himself along, but also to beat energetically 

 the animals which constantly lie down and refuse to go on. A part of 

 the group, as a matter of prudence, stopped half-way, in a depression 

 where the pestilential vapors were less thick, they said; the rest, also 

 out of prudence, exerted all their powers to get through with it and 

 not die from asphyxia, in the midst of this air laden with carbonic 

 acid. (P. 256.) 



The travellers whose accounts I shall now mention agree 

 much better with what the Gerard brothers said than with the 

 extreme statements of Jacquemont and Father Hue. 



July 14, 1845, Hoffmeister - L ' 8 reached the highest point of his 

 journey, the pass of Lama-Kaga (Thibet) at the elevation of 

 15,355 English feet; the temperature was — 50° Reaumur; the snow 

 was falling: 



About an hour and a hslf passed before our first coolies arrived 

 with our baggage. They were in a very sorry state, and were suffering, 

 as well as our interpreter M. Brown, from headaches which they 

 described as unbearable. Loss of strength, pains, and nausea are the 

 symptoms of this illness which they call here Bies (poison) or Mun- 

 dara. It attacks travellers thus at the line of perpetual snow. In the 

 coolies it appeared halfway up the pass. As a remedy against it they 

 use a sort of paste made of little sour apricots and their seeds. (P. 

 242.) 



In the account of Dr. Th. Thomson,-' 2 '' it was not only the coolies, 

 but the European traveller himself, who was affected by the 

 altitude. 



September 6, 1847, Thomson and his attendants camped at an 

 altitude of 14,800 feet, and on the 7th, they ascended to 17,000 

 feet (5180 meters): 



The whole day long I had never been free of a violent headache, 

 evidently caused by the great elevation. Rest relieved it, but it 

 reappeared at the slightest movement. It lasted all evening, as long 

 as I was awake, and I still had it on the morning of the 8th, when I 

 got up at daybreak to prepare for the journey .... 



The ascent next day was extremely steep and difficult. The act 

 of raising one's body was very tiring, and the last few hundred yards 

 were covered only after several pauses .... I reached the summit 

 of the pass of Parang at a quarter of eight in the morning; I was . 

 at an elevation of 18,500 feet (5640 meters) ; the temperature was 28° 

 .... the snow was frozen .... the wind blew violently .... We 

 descended without fatigue .... (P. 135.) 



After living a year in these lofty regions, Dr. Thomson recon- 

 noitered towards the north, as far as the celebrated pass of Kara- 

 korum, at a height of 18,604 feet (5670 meters) . There again, his 



