A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



zho, a sort of compromise between the yak and 

 ordinary bullock. 



In the afternoon the sun came out, and the whole 

 scene became imbued with a colouring that was 

 strange to me ; the lower crags were brilliant with 

 every imaginable shade of purple, yellow, and red ; 

 above them shone the pure white of the freshly- 

 fallen snow against a bright blue sky, whilst violet 

 shadows were reflected on the vivid blue-green of 

 the torrent, a picture which to be appreciated must 

 be seen. The vegetation had now become scanty, 

 a few willows and cypress bushes by the stream, 

 with wild roses that were at this elevation not yet 

 in bloom, and wild currant bushes (Rides ladakensis}. 

 On the stony slopes were a few aromatic shrubs, 

 prominent amongst them the "Boortse" (Eurotict), 

 with which I was destined to become so well 

 acquainted subsequently, and wild lavender. Among 

 the rocks above flourished the pencil cedar (Juni- 

 perus excelsd), which grows singly wherever the 

 roots can cling to the steep and stony hillside, and 

 which gives the mountains a curiously spotted 

 appearance. During this part of the march a huge 

 rock, whose weather-worn surface of a deep bfown 

 that was scrawled over with the rough figures of 

 ibex, was a very prominent object, and a friend of 

 mine who had marched along the road some two 

 months previously, told me that at that time this 

 rock was the only feature in an otherwise unbroken 

 expanse of snow. About 5 P.M. we reached the 



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