AMONG THE SNOW PEAKS 57 



the summits of Nanda Kot, No. XV., 22,491 feet, and 

 the three peaks of Trisul, all within a radius of twelve 

 or fifteen miles. The bottoms of the valleys, where the 

 torrents flow from the glaciers, are about 5,000 feet in 

 elevation. The whole of their upper portions are filled 

 up with glacier masses and vast snow slopes. The 

 glaciers to the north are, however, more extensive than 

 those in view. 



The queen of the group, Nanda Devi, stands like the 

 Jungfrau, high over the others, with precipitous sides. 

 With the glasses one could see that there were great crags 

 of white quartz on its northern face, towering perpen- 

 dicularly above the snow -fields, where no snow could 

 rest. During the heat of the day one could hear in- 

 cessantly the distant roar of avalanches echoing like 

 thunder, and the falling of rocks and the constant murmur 

 of many torrents in the far-off distance ; and yet one 

 could see nothing in the whole circle of the amphitheatre 

 of snow mountains to account for the noise ; all seemed 

 peacefully sleeping, basking in the brilliant sunshine. 

 The white courses of the streams shining hke a map at 

 one's feet seemed quite close, as if a stone could be 

 thrown on to them. That here in this solitary vastness 

 a Uttle speck of humanity could stand and look into 

 the mysteries of the world was impressive. 



The day began to wane as we still climbed upwards, 

 sometimes following the paths formed by the wild animals 

 up the grassy slopes, sometimes clinging to the crevices 

 of the rocks overhanging the khud, and worming our 

 way among the intricacies of broken pinnacles, where 

 the dwarfed and weather-beaten pines were succeeded 

 by junipers and aged birch, and where tracks of bears 

 and snow leopards were often visible. The atmosphere 

 became gradually colder. Fleecy white clouds began to 



