THE SPURS OF THE ARKA-TAGH 977 
We slaughtered a sheep, and although there were so 
many of us, the meat went a very long way, for mountain- 
sickness takes the appetite. I myself had lost all relish 
for mutton ; the meat never became properly tender, no 
matter how long it was boiled. Even the rice-pudding 
(pillau) was not palatable : the grains of the rice refused 
to soften and swell. Thus there was nothing for us 
but the everlasting thin mutton broth, with tea and bread 
as hard as a stone. Our fare was the same at every meal, 
twice a day, and at last I became so tired of it, that the 
approach of meal-times made me almost shudder ; and 1 
only recovered my usual equanimity when I had got the 
meal done with and my pipe lighted. Otherwise I was 
getting on capitally, scarcely knew that I was at an 
altitude of 16,300 feet above the level of the sea. The 
only things which made me aware of the fact were 
shortness of breath and quickened beating of the heart 
when I walked or underwent physical exertion. At night 
I was so muffled up in furs and felts that I often woke 
up gasping for breath and with a disagreeable feeling 
of anxiety weighing upon me ; but the headache from 
which I suffered the first day or two had entirely dis- 
appeared. 
About sunset the weather improved. The thick black 
clouds drifted away to the east, revealing the intense blue 
sky above our heads. In the west there was a ruddy 
glow like the reflection of a distant prairie fire, and the 
flanks of the mountains nearest us were illumined with 
vivid reds. But to the north the mountains were still 
enshrouded in thick clouds, from which magnificent light- 
nings flashed all the evening. 
On the morning of August 1 2th the gully beside 
which our camp was pitched was filled with a torrent of 
muddy water — yesterday’s snow melted. But it was only 
the lower portion that was thawed by the sun ; the upper 
portion was still frozen. During the day s march we 
passed several brooks of clear water. 
The gully led up to a small secondary pass through 
one of the ramifying arms of the Arka-tagh. The prevail- 
