134 Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, fyc. [Aug. 



My share of our camp equippage turns out to be two " Chera," one 

 stretched tent-wise over a rope between two sticks, and the other 

 closing one of the gable ends ; which covers altogether an available 

 area for lying and squatting of six feet square or thereabouts. 



Night cloudy and cold. Thermometer at 10 p. m. 34°. 



29th September. — Morning clear ; at sunrise Thermometer 31°. Ice 

 on the still parts of the neighbouring stream and in lotas of water left 

 outside at night. 



Leaving Sangchungma, we continue our journey by a very easy ascent 

 over the same sort of undulating berm on the hill side that prevailed 

 in yesterday's march. The ground is covered scantily with grass and 

 a few herbs, among which is Poh (Rhododendron anthopogon) now in 

 seed ; I saw it in flower in Jwar last June, the whole plant is very 

 fragrant, and exported to Hundes for the benefit of the Lamas, who 

 use it for incense. 



Monks-hood, or Wolf's-bane, Atis, (Aconitum heterophyllum) the 

 root of which is exported to the plains of India as a medicinal drug. 



A few scraps of Juniper, and Potentillas not in flower. 



Cross a rivulet, Nikiirch, and further on we come to the new snow 

 which fell on the 18th, 19th and 20th of this month (when we were 

 imprisoned by the rain at Gala in Chaudans) and still lies on the nor- 

 thern slopes and other sheltered spots of the ground over which our 

 road passes. Cross the Jhuling-Yankti, up which is the Pass into 

 Darma over Lebun-Dhura, and we here meet two Sipals* of Darma, who 

 have just come this way, with infinite trouble they say, 3 cos in 6 days, 

 through deep snow, which however I do not believe any more than the 

 height of the pass marked on the map 18,942 feet. This Jhuling is 

 the usual halting- place half way between Kunti and the foot of 

 Lankpya. Cross another stream coming through Byank-shiti, a small 

 pool which must be a permanency (though it would hardly be expected 

 from the loose moraine-like appearance of the ground) as there are tra- 

 ditions that some Raja of Byans in days of yore indulged his fancy by 

 calling the puddle Mantalaw, and one of the neighbouring snowy peaks 

 (of no remarkable figure) Kailas, after the great originals of those 

 names in Hundes. 



The snow now increases and our path lies over it constantly. 

 * Men of Sfbu, in Darma. 



