AMONG THE MOUNTAINS 
7°5 
round us the predominating feature was low hills, with 
easy slopes, covered with hard silt, sand, and gravel ddbris, 
partly the results of weathering of the clay-slate, which 
in this part of the range cropped out but seldom. These 
undulating hilly uplands were intersected by several zigzag 
canon-like ravines. Not a drop of water was to be seen ; 
though there were plenty of dry watercourses, showing 
where the rains ran down. Our road was not difficult, 
but Went up and down, up and down as though it never 
nieant to end ; and we crossed several secondary passes 
A TAJIK TENT IN THE TAGHDUMBASH PAMIRS 
before we attained the culminating point of the range 
(13,230 feet). 
From that spot 1 obtained a broad general view of the 
surrounding regions. The range on which we stood was 
continued towards the south in several great snow-covered 
uiountains, then curved round by the south-east towards 
Tibet, and finally became merged in the Kwen-lun moun- 
tain-system. Northwards the range we had just climbed 
stretched to Mus-tagh-ata, and thus formed a direct con- 
tinuation of the Mus-tagh or Kashgar range. Deep down 
on the east lay the glen of the Utcheh, which flows into 
the Taghdumbash-daria. 
Uur road ran down into that glen, sometimes winding 
amongst the fantastic spurs and buttresses of the eastern 
slopes of the range, sometimes running steeply down an 
eroded ravine, and occasionally crossing a minor pass 
or saddle. The last part of the descent, just before we 
reached the glen, was inconceivably steep. We encamped 
