OF THE RIVER SETLEJ. 383 



the vicinity of Nako, and close to the village there is a small lake of consi- 

 derable depth. The declivity of the ridge is here very gentle, though on the 

 opposite side of the river the steepness is established by the appearance of 

 the road not leading along its face, but over the lateral ridges and descend- 

 ing into the glens. At Chang there is the same flat declivity ; on this side, 

 red hard earth is seen to form hillocks that rise above the surrounding ter- 

 rein, similar to turrets or the bastions of a fort. Chang is situated in the 

 middle of a little flat, which might be almost called a valley ; it is in some 

 measure, or has been, the bed of a torrent, but the stream now flows deep 

 below and far away to the right. To the left this valley is bounded by a 

 ridge of the hard clay, I have already mentioned, which separated it from 

 the collection of hillocks. Looking up in the direction of the glen, which 

 has a very gradual acclivity, and flat and retiring sides, the granitic peaks 

 with snow on them are again seen, but of an inferior elevation. The village 

 is rather large and like all those in Hangarang perfectly Tartar. The con- : 

 trast in appearance and language between this race and the Kanawaris, 

 was made more striking by the arrival of a man belonging to Purbunni in 

 Kanawer, from Ladak, while we were here. He had come from Leh to 

 Lari, a village two or three marches ahead, in fifteen days, and he informed 

 us that Runjeet Sinh had established a Wakil at Leh, and that the country 

 was considered subject to him, in the same manner as it had before been to 

 Cashmir. 



The appearance of this Purgunnah Hangarang, is most strange and me- 

 lancholy : mountains bare of forest, but above covered with a little snow, 

 of the rounded form, with gentle declivities, but broken towards the river 

 into abrupt and precipitous abysses ; in the beds of which where fed by a 

 stream, are seen a few trees, chiefly the ozier. The rocks, though still a 

 good deal granitic, and felspar common, vet are verging into clay slate of 

 which there is much about this village ; above Nako, the ridge is of the true 

 Himalaya form, rugged and precipitous, breaking into pinnacles and crags, 

 but bare even of the brown and scanty vegetation that in some measure 



