TIBET. 
355 
twenty-eight degrees. From the report I had heard, I took care that 
it should be early'in the day when I approached the Ramtchieu: we 
encamped upon its banks, and passed great part of our time, while we 
remained at this station, upon our skates. This exercise was novel 
only to the few inhabitants of this solitary neighbourhood; the people 
who were with me, had already seen us skate at Tsondue; but though 
I had the superiority in one art, I found that they excelled in another: 
they were most excellent sliders. 
The lake, on which we were, had been frozen over, I was informed, 
so early as October; but a violent wind soon after arose, which had 
broken the surface, and thrown the ice, in vast confused masses, 
upon its borders. A tranquil season then ensued, during which it 
became uniformly smooth, and it was now a most noble sheet of ice. 
There were, indeed, some vast cracks, of which I could not, with my 
cane, measure the depth; these were occasioned by the diminution of 
the water beneath, and the consequent sinking of the ice to rest upon 
its surface. When this was ascertained, I had no apprehensions in 
approaching close to them, and it afforded some variety in our amuse¬ 
ment, to leap across them with our skates. A very strong and keen 
air prevailed while we continued upon the ice. It was great exercise 
to advance against it, but it required no effort to return; as, by ex¬ 
panding a handkerchief by way of a sail, I glided along upon my skates 
to a great distance with considerable velocity, without striking a 
stroke. We were sensible, while we remained abroad, of the benefit 
of exercise in preserving genial warmth; but when the day closed in, 
and we were obliged to retire within our tents, we found the cold 
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