CHAPTER XXIII. 
THE PLAIN OF TAGHARMA 
T he passes just mentioned formed the culminating" 
points of the route. On the other side, that is 
towards the west, the path descended very abruptly, going 
down alongside a little brook, which, like the Tenghi-tar 
on the east side, has excavated a deep, narrow passage 
through the solid rock. It cost us an hour’s hard work 
to get down. The more sheltered spots still harboured 
patches of ice and snow, across which we sometimes 
rode. The glen, which was called Darshett, gradually 
Widened out, and at last we perceived the end of it a 
rocky gateway giving access to a broad plain. Against 
the far-off background of the plain stood out in clear relief 
a bluish-white mountain-wall, denticulated at the top. It 
was the Mus-tagh chain. But we still had a detached 
spur of no great elevation to surmount. On the other 
side of it there burst upon our view the wide, level plain 
of lagharma, deliciously green, and bathed in the brilliant 
a ternoon sunshine. On our right lay the Chinese strong- 
hold of Besh-kurgan (the Eive Forts), surrounded by a 
rectangular wall and garrisoned, it was said, by a lanza or 
^oop of 1 20 men. As soon as we had crossed the river 
iagharma, we were met by the begs and yuz-bashis. 
hey greeted us politely, and told me they had been 
ected by letters from the Dao Tai to place themselves 
my disposal. 
The plain of Tagharma is in reality an elevated steppe, 
carpeted with the greenest of green grass, and abundantly 
running streams, which gather their water from 
e snowfields on the mountain-summits around, and unite 
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