18G8.] Notes on the Pangong lake district of Ladakh. 109 



to Kyam ; by this the coolies proceeded, while I took the east side, 

 crossing a low connecting ridge. Numbers of hares were seen, and I 

 bagged a couple for the pot. I fell in near this, with a Mr. Turnor, 

 a traveller from England ; and when I told him the beat I was going, 

 he said he would accompany me. He had been searching for the pass 

 by which M. Schlagintweit had gone towards Ilchi ; but by the natives 

 with him (for he could not speak Hindustani) had been taken of) in 

 this direction, quite a contrary point of the compass. We marched on 

 together, reaching at last the main stream of the Chang Chungmo, 

 called Kyamgo Traggar ; this was broad, and a great thickness 

 of alluvial deposits were exposed on its sides. It was an alluvial plain 

 in its transition state before the river had cut its way down to the 

 solid rocks. Its former levels were beautifully shewn in a series of steps 

 and terraces, of which as many as five could be counted. 



At the point where we descended from the alluvial terrace into the 

 bed of the Kyamgo Traggar, there was a small rill of water, but this 

 disappeared about half a mile on, where the valley narrowed consi- 

 derably, and the hills rose on either hand in high cliffs of limestone, 

 forming a regular gorge, througli this the wind blew with great violence 

 from the eastward, and dark angry clouds hid the mountain tops : it 

 was evidently setting in for a stormy afternoon. We pushed on, 

 struggling against the strong gusts of wind, and the gorge widening 

 as we proceeded at last brought us to a broad valley spread over with 

 detrital matter. The mountains still towered in cliffs to the south, but 

 rose very gradually from about 1J miles to the north, towards the 

 high ridge of Samkang and Ghamkang. It now began to snow hard, 

 and we got under the lea of a low cliff, and sat there until our coolies 

 came up, when we pitched the tents with great difficulty for the tent 

 pegs would not hold in the gravelly bed of the stream ; but by means 

 of large boulder stones, this was accomplished. It was a miserable 

 evening, snow falling until sunset, and lying on the top of the tents 

 and in dry high spots. When the clouds broke at that hour, beauti- 

 ful appeared the surrounding mountains with their white covering, the 

 fleecy clouds, drifting up against the sides, added greatly to their height: 

 the whole suffused with a lovely rose hue, and the sun shining upon 

 the wet surface of the many tinted rocks, brought out their colours 

 brighter than ever. Fires were soon blazing away, and we got ou 



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