72 
NARRATIVE. 
Gokra there is plenty of grass and wild yak are 
said to be plentiful. Our route, however, lay up a 
ravine to the north, which, twenty miles from Gokra, 
leads by several passes on to the tableland of Lingzi 
Thang. Leaving Gokra on the morning of the 19th, 
we had difficulty in fording the Chang Chenmo river, 
which was daily increasing in size. About 9 a.m. the 
rivers, fed by the melting snow, are at their lowest, and 
we had to wait until that hour before we could get 
across. During the delay we inspected all our sup- 
plies of grain, and saw sixty yak-loads fairly started 
on the road. From Gokra we marched up a narrow 
ravine, which, owing to landslips, was in some places 
almost impassable for beasts of burden ; and, although 
we had only about fifteen miles to go, it was dark 
before we got to camp. Eight miles from Gokra 
some very remarkable hot springs were seen, one of 
which, in particular, was very curious. From the 
summit of what appeared to be a huge rounded 
boulder, about eight feet high, (composed of lime and 
lying in the bed of the stream,) a jet of hot water, 
having a temperature of about 150° F., rose to 
the height of a foot or more. This rock, from 
which the water issued, although similar in out- 
ward appearance to a number of large boulders 
near it, and to all appearance detached from the 
ground, was in reality a large stalagmite formed of 
carbonate of lime, and perhaps partly of silica, de- 
posited by the water of the spring, which, in addition 
to containing lime, is surcharged with carbonic acid 
gas, and effervesces like soda-water as it escapes into 
the air. There are numerous other warm springs in the 
vicinity, which I found to have a temperature of about 
