288 FIRST STEPS IN TIBET 



Yakub was laid up from the effects of the previous day's 

 hard work. 



I made an excursion to the side valley on the left — the 

 way by which Anparh wished me to return. The mouth 

 of the valley is very narrow and steep, a sheep-path ascends 

 the hillside along rocks and crumbling ground — a hard pull 

 up. Then the path enters suddenly on a level plain, and 

 the features of the valley entirely change. A sloping plain, 

 covered with yellow furze, comes down to the stream, which 

 runs in a deep bed. Barren rocky hills, ending in fantastic 

 ridges, bound the plain. In the left front a long level 

 valley, with a stream running down the centre, curves down 

 from the Gugerang direction. From the right front another 

 smaller valley comes down, with bare and gently-sloping sides. 

 Above these is the snow-capped ridge which divides India 

 and Tibet. Though the ground, as far as the eye could 

 reach, in every direction was splendid for wild sheep, I 

 did not see a single animal. Their tracks were visible all 

 over the hillsides, and the game had certainly been here 

 within the last three days, so perhaps a leopard had cleared 

 them out. 



We left next day, as there was no temptation to prolong 

 our stay, and came down the valley by the path which runs 

 along the hillside, above the stream, for about a mile, then 

 comes down and crosses over to the right bank. The current 

 was strong, and up to the coolies' thighs in the centre. 

 The path follows the right bank, and then brings one 

 suddenly upon the most extraordinary sight I saw on this 

 trip. The hillside on the right bank has slipped down 

 bodily, and gone right across to the left bank in an 

 enormous mass of rock. The slide is at a considerable 

 angle, but the stream has worked its way out by the left 

 bank at the foot of the slip, and makes a fine cascade, 

 shooting out towards the right bank, and falling into a 



