358 COURSE AND LEVELS 



Chilkul) before he reached the head of the river, thence ascending the pass 

 he had three day's snow, and lastly two of descent to Mukba on the 

 Bhao-irathi; from Mukba to Nilang, his route coincided with mine. Nilang 

 they also call Chungsa, which they say is the Tartar name. 



Salt is in these mountains the great incentive to discovery ; it is the want 

 of this necessary that induces them to undertake journies of great length 

 and privation, and it is in search of it, and with the view of shortening as 

 much as possible the route, or of obtaining it cheaper, that these people 

 continually attempt what may be called voyages of discovery. From Ni- 

 lan°- they could of course obtain it, did not the difficulties of the road pre- 

 sent obstacles in the way of a frequent communication, besides which the 

 people of that village charge more than those of others. At present this 

 part of Kanawer receives its salt from the Tartar villages of Stang and 

 Bekar, situated on the Setlej, below Chaprang. There are two routes to 

 these villages, the one by Shipki is long but presenting no extraordinary 

 difficulties, and having a succession of villages the whole way ; the other is 

 a shorter route, but the difficulties are said to be very great. In this case 

 they go up but half-way towards Shipki, and strike off towards the right or 

 east, leaving the bed of the Setlej, and crossing the main range of the Hi- 

 malaya they descend on the other side again into its bed. Chaprang is re- 

 presented to be but six days journey (for loaded sheep) from Shipki ; from 

 Nilan 0- they represent it but eight ; the nature of the road from Nilang to 

 Chaprang they describe as excellent, and passable for horses the whole way. 



A few miles below Sangla, the Baspa river joins the Setlej. Our route 

 crossed the high ridge, which runs down as a ramification from the snowy 

 chain towards the point of confluence. The ascent begins about three 

 miles from the village, which is the length in this direction of the cultivated 

 table land already noticed ; at this termination of the flat, the river as- 

 sumes a new character, and the appearance of its channel is precisely as 

 though it had, after rising to a great height, broken through a natural or 



