THE TENGIZ-BAI PASS. 267 



short march, and camped near some Kirghiz 

 yurts in order to get a guide to take me over 

 the Tengiz-bai Pass to the Russian karaol on the 

 other side of the Alai mountains. 



The path up the precipitous glen was rough 

 and stony, and wound about a good deal, the 

 stream having constantly to be forded ; but by 

 mid-day we reached the summit, 11,800 feet. 

 There was no view of the Farghana plain to be 

 obtained, the distance being blocked by snow- 

 peaks and rocky crags at every point. The 

 ascent had been fairly easy, but the descent was 

 more trying. Now and again there were some 

 flat places, but more frequently the path pitched 

 down through very abrupt moraines of stones and 

 rocks. The bridges fortunately were good and 

 firm, and, generally speaking, the path was much 

 better looked after and kept in repair than our 

 own road over the Karakoram from Ladak. 



This pass is the highroad from the Russian 

 Farghana to the Alai, and every year, and, by bad 

 luck, just at this season, caravan after caravan of 

 Kirghiz come trooping up with their herds to the 

 fine grazing-grounds in the valley of that name. 

 The path was only about as wide as a table in 

 many places, and sometimes cut along the pre- 



