OF THE RIVER SETX.13J, 349 



animation to the people : on enquiry, we found, that three men were still 

 behind. An intelligent non-commissioned officer, accompanied by some 

 of the people from the village Jako, was ordered to return to the pass next 

 morning and seek for them ; they were found on a rock in the snow, but 

 on this side of the pass, and it appeared that they had been much alarmed 

 at the idea of passing the night in such a place, and not a little rejoiced to 

 see the people 1 had sent for them. They came in in good time, and with- 

 out having suffered any ill effects from the exposure to the cold. Consider- 

 ing the great length of way we had come over snow, it was very satisfac- 

 tory to find, that amongst so many only one had suffered, owing to the care 

 which had been taken to make them provide themselves with blankets, 

 stockings, and shades for the eyes. This one man had neglected to defend 

 his eyes from the glare, which, reflected from the snow in so pure and thin 

 an atmosphere, is very great ; the consequence was, that he was perfectly 

 blind, for a day or two ; after which he gradually recovered the use of his 

 eyes. 



As by far the greatest part of our baggage was still on the south side of 

 the pass, it was necessary to think of some means of getting it up. On pro- 

 mising a rupee for each load that should be recovered, the carriers set off 

 in high spirits, and in the course of the day every thing was brought in. 

 The day was fine, and we had an opportunity of looking about us and ad- 

 miring the scene ; a scanty pasturage, on which a few herds of yaks were 

 seen grazing, and some bushes of the dog briar, were all that we saw in 

 the shape of vegetation. The place we were encamped on, called Nuru 

 Bassa, is on the left bank of a stream which has its rise in the snows of the 

 pass we had just crossed ; it runs about north, or little east of north, to 

 join the Baspa nearly opposite Sangla. Above or around us, nothing was 

 seen but huge peaks capped with snow, the lower limit of which was not 

 many feet above our camp. Although the elevation did not much exceed 

 13,000 feet, so gre u was the cold even at this season of the year, that all 

 the streams were frozen, and during the evening a heavy fall of snow came 



