1868.] Notes on the Pangong lake district of Ladakh. 89 



the ranges bounding the northern shores. From the height at which 

 one stood these all appeared comparatively low ; only on the highest 

 lay a few small patches of snow, thence to their bases was one succession 

 of shades of yellows, purples, reds and browns, the invariable colouring 

 of Tibet-not a scrap of green. My intention was to proceed along 

 the northern shore as far as it was possible, and eventually to turn 

 north, and work round into Chang Chungmo. But it being necessary 

 first to see something of the south side also, I left the supplies and 

 sepoys at the spot where we had first struck the lake; and taking 

 one small tent, I marched on, skirting the southern shore towards 

 a low point that runs clown to and overlooks the whole of the western 

 end, and forms the termination of the longest spur from the lofty 

 snow-bound range, which forms the southern watershed of this basin." 

 Late in the afternoon we reached a very small patch of cultivation, 

 with some two or three wretched huts called Spang Mik, and the' 

 next morning, by 9 a. m., reached the foot of the low point, named 

 by the Survey Pankong (b) Hill Station. For so high an elevation, 

 a considerable amount of green grass, Tibetan furze, and cultivation 

 occurs on the west side of the hill, having a few houses scattered 

 about it, forming the village of « Mun," the largest in the Pangong 

 district. I ascended from it to the station by a short easy pull of 

 some 1,000 feet above the lake, obtaining a most commanding view, 

 up and down it, across to the spurs of north bank and high up among 

 the snowy peaks to the south, where small glaciers just show their 

 noses above the masses of the old moraines, which extend down to 

 the ancient level of the lake. Little streams flow down these steep 

 inclines like silver threads from the ends of these glaciers, to finally 

 lose themselves in the silt and sands that skirt the edge of the lake, 

 for only the most considerable of these streams find an exit in its 

 waters. Such is the one that flows through the little oasis of Mun; 

 it owes its size to the streams from three glaciers uniting some dis- 

 tance above the village. The silt brought down by these, has formed 

 a miniature delta, or arm of shallow water, running out into the lake. 

 In the course of a conversation with the coolies and men of Mun, 

 I learnt that some three or four marches further on, the lake narrowed 

 to a mere stream which was fordable, and that it was not necessary 

 to follow the northern shore, where ran besides the worst road. I 



