106 Notes on the Pangong lake district of Ladakh. [No. 2, 



had proceeded another two miles that water was found in the bed 

 of the ravine. Where we halted fuel grew in plenty— the yellow 

 flowered Tibetan furze, differing slightly from the European in not 

 being quite so thorny. The valley was still broad, but the hill sides 

 descended into it with steeper slope, it was here called Drukker. 

 When on the Sa Lam a horseman was seen riding down the valley 

 from the north, who joined us. He had come from an encampment up 

 the valley, and said he was sent to escort us on to the pass ahead. 

 Our movements were, therefore, well known, though we should not have 

 supposed a human being to have been within miles, but the Champas 

 were evidently on the watch, and espied us the moment we topped the 

 pass of Sa Lam. Between camp and the Demjor La, the valley bore 

 the same character, save that the broad gravelly bed was covered with 

 a luxuriant growth of furze, this swarmed with hares, which got up 

 in all directions, and I had some good shooting. The Demjor La was 

 reached about 10 o'clock, I found it by boiling point thermometer to 

 be 17,465. The rise was gentle the whole way, and it fell in like 

 manner into the valley on the north. As I came up to the usual pile 

 of stones on the* crest, two fine Ovis amnion came round a spur to the 

 right, at about 200 yards distance. I managed to get a little nearer, 

 but missed them. A fine mass of hill rose to the south appearing 

 easy and near, T sent the camp on to the stream below and commenced 

 its ascent. This was a good deal steeper and further than I had antici- 

 pated, proving to be 20,240 feet high, but the labour was rewarded, for 

 from the summit I obtained a splendid view, and did a large amount 

 of work ; massive snow beds still covered the top, and the wind was 

 bitterly cold. The mountains to the south of the Pangong were well 

 seen, with the great snowy range near the Indus beyond Rudok ; and 

 I still longed to go on in that direction. Of the mountains to the 

 south and west, there was a fine view of a country bleak, naked, 

 stony, and inhospitable ; only in a tributary of the great Chang Burma 

 Loomba, whence was a way to Ote, was anything green, a little grass 

 and furze there skirted the stream. Work being finished, we were 

 soon down again upon the level ground of the valley ; and on a piece 

 of very wet ground, I was surprised to flush a snipe. It was a bitter 

 cold evening, but the camp was in as sheltered a spot as we could find, 

 and there was some good grass here for the yaks, Our Champa guide 



