Beyond this I recognised a hill of which I had taken
hearings from Donkia pass, and a few miles further, on
rounding a great spur of Kinchinjhow, I arrived in
sight of Cholamoo lakes, with the Donkia mountain
rearing its stupendous precipices of rock and ice on
the east. My pony was knocked up, and I felt very
giddy from the exertion and elevation; I had broken
his bridle, and so led him on by my plaid for the last
few miles to the banks of the lak e; and there, with the
pleasant sound of the waters rippling at my feet, I
yielded for a few moments to those emotions of
gratified ambition which, being unalloyed by selfish
considerations for the future, become springs of
happiness during the remainder of one’s life.
The landscape about Cholamoo lakes is simple in
its elements, stem and solemn, and though my solitary
situation rendered it doubly impressive to me, still I
doubt whether the world contains any scene with more
sublime associations than this calm sheet of water,
17,000 feet above the sea, with the shadows of mountains
32,000 to 24,000 feet high, sleeping on its bosom.
There was much short grass about the lake, on
which large antelopes and deer were feeding. There
were also many slate-coloured hares with white rumps,
with marmots and tailless rats. The abundance of
animal life was wonderful, compared with the want of
it on the south side of Donkia pass, not five miles
distant in a straight lin e ! this is partly due to the profusion
of carbonate of soda, of which all ruminants are
fond, and partly to the dryness of the climate, which is
favourable to burrowing quadrupeds. A flock of
common English teal were swimming in the lake, the
temperature of which was 55°.
I had come about fifteen miles from the pass, and
arrived at 1 p.m., remaining half an hour. I could not
a n t e l o p e ’s h e a d .
form an idea as to whether Campbell had followed or
not, and began to speculate on the probability of having
to pass the night in the open air, by the warm side of
my steed. Though the sun shone brightly, the wind
was bitterly cold, and I arrived at the stone dykes of