494 A Journey through Sikim. [No. 6. 



miles off as far as I can guess, is seen a long range of sapphire blue 

 hills running east and west, the west end peaks north of Kambajong 

 tipped with snow. To the west, and closing the Lachen valley, the 

 great peak of Chomiomo rises to 22,000 feet, a splendid mass of per- 

 petual snow north-west, and very distant, 60 or 70 miles perhaps, are 

 seen three lofty snowy mountains. They must, I consider, be quite as 

 far north as Digarchi, but to the west of it, and from the extent of 

 snow on them in a position where the snow line may be taken at 

 20,000 feet, their elevation is probably 24,000 feet or more. 



From this spur I descended in a northerly direction over rocks and 

 stones to the outlet of the Yeumtso Lake, which I reached at 3 p. m. 

 very tired indeed and foot sore. I carried Hooker's barometer for the 

 last two miles, as the chupprassie was quite ill and scarcely able to 

 walk. Here I made up my mind to pass the night, a dreary prospect 

 enough, without shelter, food or clothing, at an elevation of 17,000 

 feet. I saw nothing else for it ; I could not walk back to Kangra 

 Lama, nor did I know whether I should find my people there if I 

 did, and my companion — the chapprassie — was quite unable to do 

 so. He had a blanket cloak only, and I mine, to cover us ; a bit of 

 ginger-bread, and an old ship biscuit, was all we had to depend on 

 for food : I saw no signs of any one following us, and was quite igno- 

 rant of Hooker's whereabouts, as we parted without any understand- 

 ing about meeting. He had a horse, but no attendant. I had no 

 horse but had a companion, and in this plight were we wandering 

 during our first day in Thibet. From the outlet of the Lake to which 

 I descended, and where I intended to bivouac for the night, the scene 

 was very striking, and was thus noted by me at the time, " I now sit 

 in a position from which all is superb ; it is at the outlet of the 

 Yeumtso Lake at its north-east angle. The water is of a pale green 

 colour, and a southerly breeze, descending from an extensive glacier 

 which feeds the Lake, is carrying a swelling ripple to my feet. The 

 form of the Lake is irregular, longer from north to south than from 

 east to west and about three miles round. It stretches before me to 

 the base of an immense bed of glacial snow, which runs far back — 

 south — into the masses of Kanchanjhow, and which is raised about 

 100 feet at its lowest part above the Lake, into which is discharged a 

 trickling stream now frozen over. To the south-west is the enormous 



