Across the Roof of the World. 



a careful supervision over my general well-being — now took 

 up the reins of office, and right well he did it, serving mc in 

 a manner I shall ever look back upon with feelings of the 

 livehest satisfaction. 



The day we left Misgar there was a change in the weather, 

 thick driving mists with occasional snow. The road lay through 

 the same gloomy ravines, rendered the more so by the heavy 

 clouds which rolled across the skies, dark and threatening. 



Near Murkush I halted in a goatherd's hut for a scratch meal, 

 and then pushed on to the point where the nullah bifurcates, one 

 leading to the Kilik and the other to the Mintaka. Here I met 

 the lumbardar of Misgar who reported the Kilik to be quite 

 impassable owing to the deep snow. 



There are two passes by which the Pamirs can be reached 

 from the Kanjut valley — the Kilik and the Mintaka. The 

 former is the easier of the two, the ascent to it being gradual and 

 practicable for laden ponies. The Mintaka lies to the east and 

 is therefore a longer route, the approach to it being steep and 

 the going very bad over huge boulders. Both these passes 

 cross the watershed of the Karakoram, and from the end of 

 October until well on into May are closed to all but pedestrian 

 traffic on account of the depth of snow, communication then 

 being maintained by the Mintaka. This pass, though having 

 a much steeper ascent, has less snow than the Kilik. hence it is 

 preferred during the winter months. There is also another 

 pass, the Gul Khwaja Uwin, which lies between the Kilik and 

 the Mintaka, but has not been crossed for some years on account 

 of the movements of glaciers and other obstacles which bar the 

 approach to it. 



The Mintaka is difficult near the summit, the gradient being 

 severe, whilst there is also a large glacier to negotiate on the 

 Kanjut side. The pass is practicable for yaks, which can usually 

 tackle anything, but to take laden ponies over would be a matter 

 of great difficulty. I decided to cross by this pass, and, on the 

 night of the 27th April, camped in the rocky nullah leading to it. 



54 



