THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION 685 
there was no place where it could be crossed during the 
summer. The deep narrow gorge of the Ilik-su had in 
places been so terribly convulsed by the recent violent 
earthquakes that it was impossible for any animal, even for 
yaks, to traverse it ; it was only practicable to men on foot. 
Thus I had got myself into a sort of mountain ad-de-sac. 
The only accessible districts which I had not yet explored 
were towards the west. Hence I resolved to seek those 
portions of the Pamirs which lay around the sources of the 
Amu-daria. 
PART OF THE HINDU-KUSH, NEAR UPRANG 
Accordingly we rode up over Taghdumbash-Pamir (the 
Mountain’s Head or Roof of the World), and on 15th 
August surmounted the pass of Wakjir (16,190 feet), an 
■mportant hydrographical centre. For from it rivers flow 
iu three different directions — the Panj, also called the 
Wakhan-daria, a head-stream of the Amu-daria, goes 
towards the west ; the Taghdumbash-daria flows east ; and 
on the other side of the Hindu-kush several feeders of the 
Indus descend towards the south. 
On August 1 7th we reached Chakmakden-kul (the Lake 
of the Fire-steel), in which the Ak-su or Murghab has its 
origin. 
