PART III 



BEHIND THE HIMALAYAS— A PEEP 

 INTO TIBET 



CHAPTER XVI 



THE BASPA VALLEY 



A three months' tour— Description of the valley— The river— Villages- 

 People— Climate— Theog—Mattiana—Sarahan— Meet my friend— Rajah 

 of Basahir— He has tiffin— Is a keen sportsman— Well educated in 

 English— Kilba— Headquarters of Forest officer— Large statf of wood- 

 cutters—How they are fed— Lay in my supplies— How I managed my 

 transport— Enter the Baspa valley— Villages on the road— The course of 

 the river— A transformation scene— Sangla village— The level valley— 

 An ancient lake— The passes— Sheep— Sheep-stages— Difference between 

 Til)etan and Himalayan sheep— The upper valley and river— Bad road 

 —Miserable huts— Wild women— More information regarding passes, 

 roads, etc. — Chitkul. 



One summer I obtained three months' leave, and deter- 

 mined to devote it to a shooting trip in the upper valley 

 of the Baspa river. In Ward's Sportsman's Guide to 

 Kashmir a sketch is given of this trip, and the sport 

 likely to be had in that part of the Himalayas ; and this 

 induced me to go in that direction. As I eventually 

 crossed from the valley into a corner of Tibet never before 

 visited by Europeans, some account of my journey may be 

 of interest, thougli I cannot say that my expedition was 

 successful as regards sport. 



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