152 
THROUGH ASIA 
Pamirs. From what the Kirghiz told me, I inferred that 
the frozen ground thaws through to the bottom during the 
summer. 
On the morning of 9th March all the Kirghiz fell upon 
their knees in the snow and prayed to Allah to vouchsafe 
them a safe journey through the dreaded pass of Kizil-art. 
I fully prepared myself for a terrible journey, for in the 
pass of Kizil-art the snow'-hurricanes are wont to swoop 
down upon the unsuspecting traveller out of a perfectly 
cloudless sky ; but to my surprise I found it much easier 
than the pass of Tenghiz-bai, especially as we were 
favoured with the best of weather. Bor-doba lies at such 
a great altitude that the climb thence to the pass, which 
SOME OF OUR PACK-HORSES 
crosses the highest ridge of the Trans- Alai, was not especi- 
ally steep. The torrent, which races down from the pass 
in spring and summer, was now frozen up, and its bed 
choked with sheets of ice, which, being polished bright by 
the wind, reflected the blue sky like a mirror. For the 
most part the range consisted of reddish sandstones and 
clay-slates ; the former varying from brick colour to blood 
red in tint, the latter being dark green, light green, and 
grey. The bottom of the valley was thickly strewn with 
debris and disintegrated rocks, brought down from the 
higher regions of the mountains. 
The gradients grew steeper as we approached the summit 
of the pass, and the snows lay deeper. But we reached 
the top (14,015 feet) without any mishap ; though, when we 
