1848.] Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, fyc. 143 



still a few patches of snow lying on the ground about our encamp- 

 ment. 



Our road from Bhawiti turned somewhat to our right, north-east- 

 ward away from the river, over easy undulating ground, a great relief 

 from the troubles of snow and sharp stones that beset our journey for 

 the last three days. A mile or two on, we reached an eminence on the 

 shoulder of the hill, perhaps 250 feet higher than Bhawiti, and 500 

 feet above the bed of the Darma-Yankti, which passes a mile or so 

 to the westward ; this spot commands a fine view of the country, and 

 as usual in such situations, is studded with the religious structures 

 called Chohtan or Mdnepdne, little towers of stones, stuck about with 

 dirty ragged flags. 



There is an unusual number of these here, erected by some Lama 

 they say, after whom the place is callad Lama Chohtan. Before us 

 extended a low plain, which on the left, northward, expanded to a con- 

 siderable size (many square miles), but to our right, eastward, contracted 

 to a mere valley a mile wide, receding south-eastward behind the 

 shoulder of hill on which we stood : beyond this valley north-eastward, 

 the ground is occupied by lofty hills or low mountains not easily redu- 

 cible to a regular plan, but the general tendency of them seems to be 

 in parallel ranges running N. W. and S. E., the most distant of them, 

 the highest, slightly tipped with snow in streaks here and there, and 

 beyond these lie the lakes, entirely shutout from view. The north- 

 western horizon is bounded by the Gangri range of mountains mode- 

 rately tipped with snow, and remarkable for the deep purple-blue 

 color of their inferior rocky parts ; and about the middle of this range 

 rises the snow-capped Peak of Kailas, somewhat higher than the rest of 

 the line. I do not believe these mountains are nearly so lofty as the 

 main ranges of the Indian Himalaya. On our left, westward, the view 

 is closed by the high bank of the Darma-Yankti, which to the 

 northward however, gradually subsides into the lower level of the plain 

 first noticed. From what I saw in June last on the road between Laptel 

 and Dungpu, and Dungpu to Chirchun, I know that a tract of elevated 

 plain lies on the top of this bank extending westward a great distance, 

 near 120 miles perhaps, up to the mountains of northern Bisehir, with 

 no other interruption than occasional clusters of hills, and deep ravines 

 draining into the Sutlej, The Darma-Yankti, after running northwards 



u 



