same ridge which we had crossed before descending to
the salt lake. The axis of the range had been very near
us on the right hand since we had crossed it on the
24th, and had sent down a succession of spurs, separated
by wide valleys, along which we had been travelling.
These separating ridges appeared usually to rise to an
elevation of from one to two thousand feet above the
nearly level valleys which lay at their bases, and were,
though often rocky, less remarkably so than in many
previous parts of our journey.
The elevated country surrounding the sources of the
Parang and Hanle rivers, and those of the more eastern
branches of the Zanskar, as well as that encircling Lake
Chumoreri, constitutes as near an approach to what Humboldt
has denominated a knot (noeud) of mountains, as
any part of the Himalaya which I have visited; not
that I conceive there is any reason to suppose that we
have in this part of the chain an intersection of two
mountain masses of different ages, to which cause the
distinguished geographer is disposed to assign those
aggregations of mountains which he has so designated.
There is, however, as indicated by the origin of so many
considerable streams in a confined area, an extensive tract
of highly elevated land, in which the valleys have a very
gentle slope, while the surrounding mountains are not
much elevated above them. The whole tract is nevertheless
eminently mountainous, if contrasted, not with
the still more rugged districts by which it is on every
side surrounded, but with the hilly districts of less alpine
countries.
In the elevated district which we had been traversing
since crossing the Parang pass, there is little or no cultivation,
a field or two at Hanle and at the monastery on
the banks of Lake Chumoreri (as I am informed by
Major Cunningham) being the only exceptions. The
district, however, is much frequented by a nomade population
of shepherds, who, living in tents, move about
with their flocks as the abundance of food or their own
caprice may lead them. Clusters of black tents were
now and then seen by us at intervals, especially in Rup-
chu, by which name the districts round the salt lake are
known to the wandering inhabitants.
During the whole of the 25th of September, a furious
north wind had continued to blow, accompanied by a
cloudy sky, and all the indications of extremely unsettled
weather, such as had been met with in the neighbourhood
of Hanle only a week before. It was evident that;
as winter approached, these periods of disturbance recurred
more and more frequently. This time the fury
of the blast increased as the day advanced, and after dark
the cold in our tents was very severe. About 10 p .m .
it began to snow slightly, and at daybreak on the 26th
the ground was covered with snow to a depth of between
two and three inches. As we had a prospect of arriving
*in milder regions by diminishing our elevation during
the day, we hastened our departure as much as possible.
A mile and a half of level ground brought us directly
under the pass, the ascent to which was at last very steep.
The road was very stony and rugged, but everything
being covered with snow a good deal deeper than on
the open plain on which we had encamped, we did not
linger at the' summit. The wind still blew strongly