UNINHABITED REGIONS 
961 
mountains, and at their base, where the river when in 
flood had washed away the superincumbent soil. On 
the whole the mountains showed tolerably rounded out- 
lines, and were covered with strata of soft earth and 
detritus. 
As we advanced, the valley gradually contracted, and 
its surface became more broken and encumbered with 
gravel. The ascent to the pass of Yappkakhk grew 
steeper and steeper ; nevertheless all the animals, in- 
cluding the camels, acquitted themselves wonderfully well. 
We fully expected to have to carry their loads ^ up the 
last and steepest portion of the ascent, but happily none 
of them needed help even there. 
I myself, with my two followers, reached the summit 
of the pass an hour before the camels and donkeys. 
Looking back we saw them far down below like little 
black dots struggling up and up. Towards the west the 
eye ranged over an unlimited sea of mountain-peaks and 
crests ; whilst to the east also the view of the complex 
mountain landscape was almost equally grand. The valley 
on the other side of the pass, which stretched towards the 
east, was so choked with mud and gravel that it looked 
like a piece of blue-grey ribbon flung ^ down across the 
yellow-grey mountains. 1 he pass itself formed a moder- 
ately sharp crest, thickly strewn with disintegrated rocks 
and fragments of black clay-slate. In this respect it 
resembled the pass of Chokkalik, but was incomparably 
the easier. For the slopes were less steep, and the alti- 
tude lower, not exceeding 15,680 feet. We had splendid 
weather ; the thermometer showed 57°6 Fahr. (i4°2 C.). 
The descent into the valley on the east was not difficult, 
although we passed several very narrow places in its 
upper part. But it soon widened out, and further down 
a little rivulet trickled along the middle of it. 
On the terraced bank of the stream we came upon a 
("■rand specimen of the khidan (wild ass). Upon 
surprised by the dogs, the animal fled down the valley 
with the speed of the wind, but kept stopping to look 
at us from a distance. We afterwards learned, that the 
