Another Difficult Pass. 



confines. Could I but succeed in getting my depressed and 

 trembling caravan men down into the valley I did not mind if 

 they incontinently fled, since I felt sure of getting transport from 

 the Kalmuks there who during the summer months frequent 

 the Yulduz plains for the pasturage. 



Arrived at the further limit of the grassy ridges I could see 

 the actual approach to the summit would indeed be a tough 

 proposition ; two hundred feet higher up was loose sliding shale 

 at an angle of 60 degrees. This surmounted, I should be on the 

 top and substantial progress made. Giyani headed the little 

 column and Rahim, the cook, followed in the centre, I bringing 

 up the rear to urge on caravan men and horses, and incidentally 

 prevent the guide from suddenly absenting himself. 



Beyond the rocks and boulders, which we negotiated alright, 

 was the loose shale mentioned, and which proved to be the undoing 

 of the animals. Two shpped on the treacherous surface and rolled 

 down the mountain side. One of them was badly hurt and the 

 other, saving himself by contact with a rock, was able to regain his 

 feet, serious injury being averted by my Wolseley valise he 

 carried having broken the concussion. With ropes, and the 

 combined efforts of all hands, the other ponies were hauled up. 

 The fallen animals were off-loaded and I then had everything 

 man-hauled to the summit, now a distance of two hundred feet, 

 work in which Giyani greatly distinguished himself, labouring like 

 a Trojan, and as befitted his noble calling. 



The height of the pass is only 11,400 feet, but that is no 

 criterion as to its difficulty. The crest line marks the division 

 between Kashgaria and the Great Yulduz, the entire range in this 

 section consisting of rocky serrated ridges. 



The scanty information possessed on this portion of the 

 Thian Shan would appear to be incorrect in several details. 

 Notably it has been stated that the southern slopes are steeper 

 than the northern ones, and much broken by narrow ravines, 

 and that their higher reaches are prolific in glaciers. As far as my 

 observations go I encountered no glaciers, nor did I see signs 



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