Mountain Journeys 157 



The following year, in 1870, the "Munschi" Faiz Buksh, leaving 

 Peshawar in the Upper Punjab, set out for Kashgar, trying, like 

 so many other more or less clearly official envoys, to open these 

 new ways by which the commerce, the diplomatic influence, and 

 perhaps the arms of England strive to penetrate western Turkestan. 



His account - 41 is very rich in details which interest us. He 

 lays particular stress on Pamir: 



Pamir has been given the name of Bam-i-Dunya (roof of the 

 world) because of its height. Its great elevation is proved by the 

 absence of trees and the scarcity of birds; grass grows there only in 

 the summer. The air there is greatly rarified, so that breathing is 

 difficult for men and beasts. This difficulty is called tunk by the people 

 of Badakhshan and Wakhan, and ais by the Mogols. The liver and 

 the stomach are irritated. Travellers suffer from headache, and blood 

 flows from their noses. In people of weak constitution, the face, hands, 

 and feet swell. The colder it is, the more marked these symptoms are. 

 The natives use acid, dried apricots, and plums as remedies. At night, 

 if one does not have his head two feet higher than his legs, respira- 

 tion is hampered during sleep. These symptoms appear whether one 

 is afoot or on horseback. 



I am thirty-four years old. On one of the peaks of Pamir, my pulse 

 rate was 89 per minute; I had a headache, with irritation of the liver 

 and stomach; once I had the nosebleed. One of my servants, named 

 Kadir, a native of Peshawur, aged twenty-seven, had an attack of 

 fever, with difficulty in breathing, irritation of the liver, and swelling 

 of the face and extremities; his pulse rate was 99. Another, named 

 Mehra, a native of Ghizni, aged twenty, felt only slight difficulty in 

 breathing; his pulse rate was 75. Over-feeding increases the difficulty 

 of breathing. (P. 470) .... 



Between Ak Tash and Sarkol is a lofty peak named Shindi Kotal, 

 the summit of which is always covered with snow; we felt more 

 difficulty in breathing there than on Pamir .... Three days' journey 

 after Sarkol is a lofty peak called Yam Bolak, the summit of which is 

 always covered with snow; we experienced great difficulty in breath- 

 ing there also. (P. 472.) 



The expedition led by Forsyth the same year from Lahore to 

 Yarkand, through Ladak, had to cross successively the Himalayas 

 and Karakorum. The account which Henderson '-' 42 gives of it 

 frequently indicates the observation of symptoms due to the rare- 

 faction of the air. 



June 27, 1870, crossing of the Namyika Pass, in Ladak: 



Although the summit of this pass has an elevation of only 12,000 

 feet, several of our men had great difficulty in breathing, which con- 

 tinued for several hours after we had reached our camp at Karbu, 600 

 feet lower; some of our men could not even sleep during the night for 

 this reason. (P. 46.) 



