DIMENSIONS OF THE LAKE. 211 
sand feet. The lake is above a mile and a 
quarter in circumference,* and receives the 
springs from the mountains. A little brook 
also flows into it from the north, but no channel 
could be found by which its waters might be 
carried off. The depth of the lake near the 
shore is eleven, and in the middle not more 
than seventeen toises. After Mr. Hoffman 
had satisfied his curiosity, he returned with his 
companion to Tibu’s hut, and happily reached 
its shelter before a heavy storm that followed 
them had begun to discharge its fury. Ex- 
hausted by the fatigue of the march, and the 
oppressive heat, Mr. Hoffman threw himself 
on his couch to take a little repose, while his 
companions killed and roasted the pig. The 
storm now burst in tremendous violence over 
the hut. The thunder rolled fearfully along 
the valley, and reverberated from the rocks; 
the lightnings gave to the thick darkness a 
momentary illumination equal to the brightness 
* The measurement given is two Russian wersts, of which 
one hundred and four and a half make a degree, or, as 
nearly as possible, one and a half make an English mile. 
The exact circumference therefore of the lake, as given, is 
one mile and one third. 
