even down the easy slopes we were on at the time; it
must have weighed very nearly 100 lbs.
Near the foot of the ridge we met the coolies and
gave up our loads with no great regret. The two
guides returned to Taklakot with three coolies for more
petroleum and provisions, while I went on with the
other three and made a camp at the foot of the next
spur to the north of us by the side of the stream flowing
down from the Gurla Mandhata glacier. On the way I
managed to knock over a goa (Gazdla picticaudata), the
curious broad-muzzled gazelle of Tibet.
That night I had a grand twelve hours’ sleep with the
Mummery tent all to myself, and spent the next day
very pleasantly in doing nothing. The guides got in
about three o’clock after a very long tramp from
Taklakot with supplies from Sherring,. and almost
immediately started off after a herd of burhel that were
grazing on the slopes above us, bringing back a most
acceptable store of fresh meat at nightfall.
At eight o’clock next morning, July 22, we started off
with five coolies (they insisted that one must be left
to guard their store of food) and tramped up a ridge
very similar to the first one we had attacked, till half-
past three in the afternoon, when we reached the first
patch of snow from which we could get water. As
before, I had a splitting headache, but the views on the
way up almost reconciled me to it. Kamet and its
attendant peaks were again magnificent, and we could
distinctly make out the Sutlej, running westward
through the Tibetan Highlands on its way to the plains
of the Punjab through the Himalayas of Bashahr.
As before, we sent the coolies down, this time with
orders not to expect us back for two or even three days :
as a matter of fact, we were not to see them again for
five days. This bivouac was a very high one: by
comparison with the peak 22,200 ft. of the survey, I
should estimate our altitude at about 20,000 ft. However,
we did not feel the cold severely, at any rate not
nearly so much as one night we spent at 19,000 ft. on
Summit.
r ' I CREST OF GURLA MANDHATA FROM ABOVE C
The ridge along which we went on July 23; route indicated by dotted line
Nanda Devi in June. But I still felt unwell and consequently
we did not get under way till nearly five
o’clock on the morning of July 23.
The snow was in good condition, and the ridge quite
easy at first, but proved to be much longer than we
expected. We had left our tent and sleeping bags at
the bivouac, carrying only two days’ food, and thus
lightly laden seemed to be making good progress. At
two o’clock we reached a point at least 23,000 ft. above
sea-level; from it we looked right over the top of the