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



of granite shingle from the foot of Momonangli ; the road said to have 

 been made over this by a certain Lama, being nothing better than a 

 width of a few feet, very indifferently cleared of the larger stones, which 

 have been thrown to the sides of the path; numerous large water courses, 

 which in the summer contribute streams to the Karnali, were now all 

 dry. We encamped in one of these at 6^ p. m. ; night and fatigue 

 obliging us to halt notwithstanding the want of water, I had to dine 

 again off biscuits and cheeroots. 



7th October. — Thermometer at sunrise 1 6° ; ground and tents cover- 

 ed with hoar-frost ; hitherto I had seen little or no dew in the morn- 

 ings ; the increase of moisture in the air here is brought perhaps by 

 the south wind blowing up the valley of the Karnali from the Indian 

 side of the Himalaya. This place is probably about the same elevation 

 as the lake, i. e. 15,250 feet. 



Rechu and the other Bhotia made their appearance early this morn- 

 ing, bringing the ponies with them. Yesterday, Anand lagging behind 

 the rest of us on the march, saw two horsemen in the distance, pro- 

 bably these very worthies of our own party following at our heels as 

 near as they durst. 



We started at 7\ a. m., course south-westerly ; 3 miles on crossed a 

 very wide ravine full of granite shingle and large enough for a consider- 

 able river, but at present there was a small stream only : on the left 

 bank is a ruined Dharmshala hight Baldak, like Lagan Tunkang, 

 and strewed about with bones said to be the remains of the cattle 

 which perished here in the flight of Zorawar Sing's party from Gangri 

 to Pruang. Three or four miles down, and little above its entrance 

 into the Karnali, this ravine is joined by another from the northward, 

 (one of those we crossed yesterday evening), and in the angle of ground 

 between them stands Kardam, one of the three Khar or Forts of 

 Pruang, and a large village, the highest up the valley ; the fort is said 

 to be in a ruinous, or at best neglected condition, without garrison, 

 though nominally kept by a " Zungpun" of inferior rank (a Kharpun 

 probably). Our route continued with very little variety over ridges of 

 high ground, alternating with stony ravines, for the most part dry. 

 We could now see many miles up the valley to the north-westward, the 

 head of which under Chujia Tol we had crossed on the 2nd instant { 

 but there were no points of particular note about it. Five or six miles 



