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



or by change of direction to the northward, or by both of those causes 

 perhaps. On the south side of the lake, (which Moorcroft observes to 

 be " bounded by immense mountains,") in its eastern half, rises slop- 

 ing ground, then hills, and behind all the Indian snowy mountains, a 

 blank dismal chaos, in appearance rather broad than lofty, the further 

 end receding southward, and the nearer advancing towards the lake, 

 till it terminates in Momonangli. This great mountain occupies all 

 the western half of the lake's south bank ; its upper and greater part 

 a vast towering mass of pure snow, the base in earthly mounds, almost 

 bare of verdure, sloping right down to the water's edge. The isthmus 

 of low hilly ground that forms the western boundary of the lake joins 

 the foot of Momonangli. The view which I here obtained of Manasa- 

 rowar confirmed my belief of the accounts of native informants, which 

 all agree in stating that the lake has no other affluents than a few un- 

 important streams rising close by in the surrounding mountains, and but 

 one effluent, that communicating with Rakas Tal, which we crossed this 

 morning. The two lakes are placed together in a basin, girt about by 

 an enceinte of hill and mountain, from which the only exit appears to 

 be at the north-western extremity opening into the valley of Lajandak. 



The outlet (Nikas) of Mapan leaves the lake from the northern quar- 

 ter of its west side. I was much puzzled to account for Moorcroft' s 

 failure to find the mouth of so large a stream as that we forded this 

 morning, till at last I heard on good authority, that the entrance of the 

 channel is completely closed by a large bar of sand and gravel, conti- 

 nuous with the shore of the lake, and the effluent water runs through 

 this in a copious stream. He thus describes the very point he was in 

 search of, and passed without knowing it : " As the bank approached 

 this angle (i. e. the north-west), it declined to gentle elevations 

 leading to interrupted table-land, and at its base was a large bay, from 

 the bottom of which rose a pyramidical red rock connected with a 

 ridge of high land to the higher flats on the north and steep towards 

 the south : upon this was the house of a Lama and many Gelums, &c. 

 &c." That was Ju-Gumba, with the outlet immediately under the 

 south-west side of it concealed merely by the bank upon the edge of 

 the bay. 



It is a pity that Moorcroft did not get the company of some intelli- 

 gent Hunia (as he might easily have done), who would have explained 



