THE MURUI-USSU. ■ 221 



last we were obliged to throw anything away by 

 stealth, to avoid its attracting the attention of this 

 monomaniac. 



After passing the low Baian-kara-ula ^ range, at 

 length, on January 22, 1873, we reached the banks 

 of the Yangtse-kiang or Blue River, called by the 

 Mongols in its upper course the Murui-ussu, and 

 by the Tangutans Di-chu.^ This river rises in the 

 Tang-la mountains, and after passing through the 

 highlands of Northern Tibet, pursues its course to 

 the boundaries of China Proper, where it soon swells 

 into a mighty stream.^ The current of the Murui- 

 ussu is extremely rapid, and the Avldth of its channel 

 at the spot where we saw it, i.e. at its confluence 

 with the Napchitai-ulan-muren, is 750 feet ; but the 

 whole river-bed from bank to bank is upwards of a 

 mile wide and, as our guide assured us, is entirely 

 covered with water during the rainy season in sum- 

 mer, when it sometimes even overflows the banks. 

 In autumn, after the floods have subsided, the 

 Murui-ussu is fordable, but only in a few places.'* 



^ The pass over the Baian-kara-ula is very gradual and not high ; 

 it may even be entirely a voided by following the valley of the Napchitai- 

 ulan-muren, as we did ; Hue, however, describes it as an enormous 

 range, dreadfully difficult to cross. The pere declares that in certain 

 places he was obliged to hold on to the tail of his horse and drive it 

 before him up the steep incline. — Sotivenirs d'nn Voyage, &^c., ii. 216- 

 218. 



- The latter name signifies ' cows' river,' probably from the abund- 

 ance of Avild yak. The translation of the Alongol name is 'river-water,' 

 'mur' being an abbreviation of ' muren,' i.e. river, and ' ussu ' meaning 

 water. [I should greatly doubt this bit of etymology. — Y.] 



^ See Supplemetary Note. 



4 The first ford, in ascending the river from the confluence of the 

 Napchitai-ulan-muren, is 20 miles distant. 



