168 Narrative of a Journey to Clio Lagan, fyc. [Aug. 



ascended on the high bank again, and then fell into the high road be- 

 tween Pruang and Gangri, which is nothing more than a wide and well 

 beaten track over hill and dale. Four or five miles brought us in view 

 of what appeared to be the south-western corner of Mapan, which was 

 rounded off with shallow water ; a concentric bar of shingle-sloping 

 beach, and then steep hills, connecting the ground on which we were 

 travelling with the base of Gurla. There was no sign of any affluent 

 stream in this quarter, and the nature of the ground precludes an efflu- 

 ent. Continuing along the ridge, and inclining gradually from the east 

 to the west side of it, we came in sight of Cho-Lagan again, viz. the 

 south-eastern quarter of it which forms a large bay under the foot 

 of Momonangli. By an easy descent we reached the shore, and 1^ 

 p. m. halted at Lagan-Tunkang, which is, or was, a Dharmshala close 

 upon the water at the south-east corner of the lake ; it now con- 

 sists of some roofless and ruinous walls built of shingle stones em- 

 bedded in mud ; the roof is said to have been burnt by the Sikhs 

 under Zorawar Sing, who passed this way during winter and were 

 hard up for firewood. There is rather a marine looking beach here 

 with concentric ridges and shingle showing variations in the water 

 level to the extent of six feet perhaps, above the present surface : 

 the shingle and sand are mostly granitic, and the former partially roll- 

 ed ; only the southern half of Lagan is visible from the Tunkang, the 

 northern part being hidden by the projecting hilly banks which I notic- 

 ed from the other side occupying the middle part of the lake's eastern 

 shore. The extreme breadth of the lake at this its widest, may be 

 eleven miles or thereabouts, equal to the middle breadth of Mapan. The 

 south-western bank had the same steep profile and irregular indented 

 outline, as viewed from the other side, and the little islands were visible 

 again. Gerard was misinformed about the island in Rakas Tal with a 

 monastery on it : there is nothing of that sort I believe : as the Hunias 

 have no such things as boats here, the only access to these islands, is 

 by the ice when the lake is frozen over in winter, and they are then 

 sometimes visited by shepherds in quest of fresh pasturage. There is a 

 story, true or not I cannot say, of a shepherd having thus taken up his 

 quarters on one of the islands, and not being alert enough on the ap- 

 proach of spring and thawing of the ice, his communication was inter- 

 rupted before he could effect his retreat to the shore ; he was thus 



