304 COURSE AND LEVELS 



a-head that it would be necessary to divide it into two stages, in which 

 case we should be obliged to encamp half- way, and would require pro- 

 visions for one day with us. Having made our arrangements we left Nis- 

 sang at a quarter to seven, and stopped to breakfast at a quarter to nine, 

 at the last piece of water we were to meet for many miles. The descent 

 from the village to the Tala Khir JNullah is steep but short. The ascent 

 appeared at first difficult, if not impossible, on account of the seeming bare- 

 ness and steepness of the mountain side. We however proceeded, climb- 

 ing slowly up an acclivity of loose fragments, which latterly appeared to 

 deviate more from the perpendicular, retiring from the face of the range, 

 between high and projecting walls or cheeks that rose up on each side in 

 threatening array. Every hundred yards we were compelled to take breath, 

 and we did not reach the Geri Pug Pass till noon, a distance of five miles 

 from Nissang. As the path ascended, it retired, and became less steep, 

 and latterly we saw some appearance of forest, particularly several species 

 of juniper in full fruit. It was in fact the projecting crags I have already 

 noticed that, concealing the route, had given us so exaggerated an idea of 

 the difficulties; they were however still great ; the ascent may be judged of 

 by the depression of Nissang (24°), and the elevation of the pass appeared 

 by the theodolite to be the same as the Kherang Pass, crossed the preced- 

 ing day. 



The path beyond this became frightfully bad, and frequently made me 

 pause, familiar as 1 was with the difficulties of mountain roads. The 

 loose fragments of every size, accumulated against the declivity of hard and 

 bare clay slate mountains over which our track lay, equally threatened us 

 from above and from below. Such was their mobility, that the wind was 

 sufficient to detaeh them, and once set in motion, even one stone however 

 small, was sufficient to bring down vollies upon us. Again, if the motion 

 began from below, it threatened to carry away the very ground on which 

 we trod, while nothing- appeared to obstruct our progress down a de- 



