1842.] to Shipke, in Chinese Tartary. 375 



fast, and went up the face of a steep hill for 1^ mile, sometimes over 

 large misshapen masses of granite, sometimes upon a gravelly soil cover- 

 ed with brown furze and various kinds of aromatic shrubs. There was 

 not the least trace of a foot-path, and the prickly bushes impeded us 

 not a little, every moment running into the feet through the shoes 

 which were of the kind used by the natives, our own stock, from 

 the badness of the roads, having been long since worn out. The 

 height of this station was 14,900 feet. There being another higher 

 peak without snow that seemed near, we moved towards it, but 

 were never so much deceived in distance, it took us full three hours 

 to reach its top, and the ascent was very tiresome, lying over enormous 

 detached blocks of stone, often resting upon small bases, tottering 

 under the feet, and seeming ready to overwhelm us ; the last 200 yards 

 were still worse, and we were obliged to use both hands and feet, now 

 climbing up almost perpendicular rocks, and now leaping from one 

 to the other ; a single false step might have been attended with fatal 

 consequences, and we had such severe headaches, and were so much ex- 

 hausted, that we had hardly strength sufficient to make the effort, 

 and it required no inconsiderable one to clear the deep chasms which 

 we could scarcely view without shuddering. I never saw such a hor- 

 rid looking place, it seemed the wreck of some towering peak burst 

 asunder by severe frost. After much delay, we got up the theodolite 

 and a couple of barometers, at 4 p.m. the mercury stood at 16.170 

 inches, and the thermometer was 29°, which compared with correspond- 

 ing observations made at Soobathoo, gives the height 16,921 feet. 

 We observed all the surrounding peaks, and then proceeded to the 

 village of Nako at a quick pace, the road for the first mile was a steep 

 and rocky descent, afterwards a more gradual one to camp, where we 

 arrived at dusk. The distance by perambulator was ten and half miles, 

 but we must have travelled upwards of eleven, for the wheel could not 

 be rolled to the top of the highest peak. 



1 1th October. — From what we saw yesterday, we were convinced we 

 could reach a more elevated spot, and thinking the attainment of a 

 great height more desirable than a high latitude, we resolved to try 

 it again, and rather defer our intended journey towards Ludak, than 

 let slip such a favourable opportunity. From our experience of the 

 slowness with which the perambulator can be rolled over the large 



