— 108 -- 
dirty dwellings and cowed, primitive inhabitants we remem- 
bered with regret the lofty, barren, inspiring Pamir. 
The remainder of September was spent in Wakhan, and 
the larger part of October in Goran and Shugnan, which lies 
at the due S. N. course of the Pansh river. On October 27 
we went into winter quarters in Chorock, which is in Shug- 
nan at the outlet of the Gund into the Pandsh. In March 
we retraced our steps the same way we came and rode from 
Langarkish across Pamir back to Ferghana. | 
In the following pages are notes of scattered observations 
made during the autumn and winter spent in the southern 
and western valleys of Pamir. 
Wakhan is the name given to the valley of the Pändsh 
river from Ishkashim toward the east. Its direction is mainly 
east-west. The highest point in the valley visited by the ex- 
pedition, Langarkish, lies, according to OLUFSEN, 3,029 
metres above sea-level, while Rang, near where the Pändsh 
turns toward the north, is 2,702 mètres above the sea. As 
the distance between the two is about 100 km, the fall of the 
river during this stretch is only about 327 mètres, which 
does not occasion any great speed. The river does indeed 
flow quietly, at times almost forming lakes. In many places 
gravel and sand are deposited. The latter is dried by the 
prevailing western winds and tossed hither and thither, 
forming stretches of drift-sand. According to OLUFSEN’s map 
the valley is 2—3 km broad in the eastern part, in the 
western end it is narrower, often hardly more than 1 km 
across. Yet it is wide enough everywhere to permit our 
riding on the bottom of the valley, without making it neces- 
sary to climb over the bordering mountains. However it 
seemed narrow enough to us journeying in it on its north 
side, where we had the mighty peaks of the Hindukush’) chain 
constantly before our eyes. These pinnacles of the Hindukush 
tower about 7,000 mètres high, according to OLUFSEN, and 
1) In geographies of to-day we often find Hindu-Kooh (Kooh = moun- 
tain). The natives say Hindu-Kush (Kush = destroyer). 
