A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



perhaps it was these facts which caused them to be, 

 at least so it struck me, of a far more independent 

 and less depressed demeanour than the Baltis 

 farther south. On the 4th of July I camped at the 

 village of Kustang ; one march further on, the main 

 road at Paxfain, leaves the Shyok Valley, which 

 above this point is, I believe, impassable, or almost 

 so, even for natives, and turns southwards, following 

 the course of the Chorbat Loongma, or river, to the 

 Pass of the same name (16,800 feet), by which it 

 crosses into the Indus Valley in Ladakh. I 

 determined to cut off this angle, and on July 5th, 

 sending on my baggage and coolies by the main 

 path, I started straight up the mountain behind 

 the village of Kustang, taking the small tent and 

 provisions for four days. For about three hours we 

 climbed gravelly hillsides and stony precipices, and 

 after that our way lay over slopes of grass ; but 

 these were very steep, and at this altitude breathing 

 became difficult. There were many flowers on 

 these slopes, amongst them one resembling a white 

 anemone or hellebore (winter-rose), but with the 

 head pendent. We camped that night in a slight 

 depression on the hillside, where there was *a 

 creeping willow for fuel, and a tiny trickle of water. 

 The view of the Karakoram peaks immediately 

 opposite was superb. Near our camp were several 

 colonies of marmots, here the yellow or Ladakhi 

 sort (Arctomys aureus\ not quite so large as the 

 red Kashmiri ones ; there were also several coveys 



85 



