Across the Roof of the World. 



a narrow, stony ravine, whose sides reminded me of the Hi Su. 

 The way was httered with huge boulders over which we had to 

 scramble, there being no visible track and a prolonged climb it 

 was over this rocky debris at an ever-increasing gradient. The 

 ravine from now onwards became wilder and more rugged, its dark 

 sloping sides covered with moraine and the detritus of avalanche- 

 swept shale, whilst beyond the ground stretched away up into the 

 region of eternal snow. Amidst such a scene of rugged grandeur 

 and sombre immensity we toiled upward, at noon reaching a 

 point where the nullah bifurcated, one branch leading to the north, 

 the other being the road I was to follow, and the one the guide 

 had informed me was "not far." There was grass on the only 

 open patch at this parting of the ways, so we rested there, gathering 

 energy for the wilderness of rocks and boulders ahead. It was 

 a long, unbroken ascent over masses of slate and shale, where to 

 gain a footing at all was a work of art, the labour intensified by 

 its sliding propensities, causing much blundering and struggling 

 on the treacherous surface. 



Such a road, leading as it did, at a steep angle, over heaps of 

 detritus and ground that is one vast moraine, is most distressing for 

 the baggage animals, and their struggles over the terribly rough 

 going were pitiable to behold. As mentioned before the rarity of 

 the atmosphere at these high altitudes puts a great strain on 

 men and animals alike, and the hard work entailed by such 

 precipitous ascents causes the heart to beat like a sledge 

 hammer, and one gasps for breath in the attenuated air. It 

 had always been my practice never to hustle the animals 

 over such ground, but allow them to go their own pace, a 

 slow, but withal a sure policy, working out better than any 

 attempt to rush them through. At the same time it obviates 

 a heavy mortality consequent on continued exertion combined 

 with great height and its attendant evils. 



The secret of success in crossing high passes lies in ascending 

 them slowly, with due regard to the respiratory organs, which at 

 high altitudes, and the resulting lack of sufficient oxygen, can 



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