38 JOURNEY TO THE PAMIRS. 



delayed us a little, for they brought out bowls of 

 butter-milk and bread, which our servants were 

 nothing loath to accept. They told us our road 

 left the valley and wound over a spur called the 

 Kisnach Loch Dawan. 1 It was steep, but other- 

 wise good enough, and by mid-day we reached 

 the top, Bower taking the altitude at 14,000 feet. 

 We were rather disappointed not getting a view 

 from the ridge, which was blocked by another 

 spur running parallel to the one we stood on. 



A similar march the following day brought us 

 to another Wakhi camp at the foot of the Saragat 

 Pass, 14,000 feet. Here the same ceremony of re- 

 freshment occurred, and one of the natives offered 

 to come on with us as far as the next camping- 

 ground as guide, for which we were very thankful, 

 for no one in the caravan had an idea of the way. 

 It was a much stiffer climb than the previous day, 

 and this our ponies soon found out, requiring 

 much driving. All things have an end, however, 

 and we got over at last, and slithered down the 

 other side. From what the Wakhis told us, we 

 found that until we got to Kugiar every march 

 would be very much alike, with a topa dawan (pass 

 of earth) to cross, until we struck the Tisnaf river. 



1 Dawan is the Turki ivr pass. 



