30 START FOR CHINESE TURKISTAN. 



being a gradual ascent up a great barren corrie, 

 until within a couple of thousand feet of the crest, 

 when the road becomes more abrupt and zig- 

 zags to the top. Our ponies seemed to feel the 

 altitude very much, though unladen, having put 

 our things on yaks for the first two marches. 

 Just over the col, on the northern side, there 

 is a nasty bit of frozen snow and ice which 

 has been the death of many a good pony. The 

 Wazir had been so good as to send a gang of 

 men there to cut a foothold in the ice, so that 

 by passing them on carefully, one man hanging 

 on by the head and another to the tail of each 

 pony when he got to a bad place, we got them 

 safely over the dangerous parts. From there a 

 small glacier runs down to a tarn about a mile 

 from the crest, and the road continues down the 

 corrie. After about five miles we debouched 

 into the Shyok valley. There we unloaded our 

 ponies at the ferry. Owing to there being only 

 one boat, and the stream running very strong, 

 it was nearly evening when we got all our kit 

 across. Continuing our march, we reached Salti, 

 and camped on a nice plot, with grazing handy 

 for the ponies. 



Our breakfast was taken in an orchard next 



