184/.] Notes of an Excursion to the Pindree Glacier. 257 



difficulty, advanced a few hundred paces towards its head, where it com- 

 mences in huge broken tiers of the purest snow. The glare from this 

 was intolerable, and the warmth of the sun now began to tell on the 

 snow ; the consequences soon made themselves heard and seen in the 

 avalanches which, one in about every three minutes, commenced falling 

 from the lofty crest on our right — the northern shoulder of Peak No. 

 XV. generally known as Minda Kot or Nunda Hosh. The ridge of this 

 was capped by a wall of snow, apparently 40 or 50 feet thick, from 

 which stupendous masses were constantly detached and fell with the 

 noise of thunder, spreading out in their descent like a fan, and tumbling 

 in great blocks to the base of the moraine. Though perfectly safe 

 where we stood to gaze, my Almorah servant was terribly frightened by 

 "Devee's opera." Having crossed the glacier we kept for a short dis- 

 tance along its western side, as I hoped to reach the source of the 

 Pindur that way ; and return to the camp by crossing it at its source : 

 both objects Ramsingh assured me were now impracticable ; and as 

 heavy clouds began to collect to the south, any delay became danger- 

 ous ; and therefore returning to the glacier, we endeavoured to steer 

 down its centre, so as to look down on the river from the southern 

 escarpment ; but this was also impossible, from the tremendous fissures 

 (the veritable Davy's locker) which crossed our path. Nothing re- 

 mained but to regain the moraine, which we only did by passing along 

 some very awkward isthmuses between these fissures. The moraine 

 is constituted of gravel, mud, and blocks of stone imbedded in ice ; the 

 stones much smaller than I should have expected. It conducted us, 

 latterly by a very steep descent, to where the river issues from a cave 

 in the face of the glacier, about 20 feet high, by perhaps 90 wide ; the 

 impending roof is riven into four or five successive thick ribs of ice, the 

 lower members of which promise a speedy fall. I found the water ex- 

 tremely cold and muddy, and, as my guide had declared, too deep and 

 impetuous to be crossed. Mr. Hort found the water to boil at 190f°, 

 which, allowing half a degree too high for the error of his thermometer, 

 would make the elevation very nearly 12000 feet. 



It is most surprising that with such a beautiful and unquestionable 

 example of a glacier within seven marches of Almorah, the existence of 

 this phenomenon in the Himalaya should have been considered doubt- 

 ful ! Having within these five years visited the Mer de Glace and seve- 



