jhow reared its long and rugged precipices, and under
its cliffs lay the lake to which we had walked in the
morning: beyond Kongra Lama were the Thlonok
mountains, where I had spent the month of Ju n e ; with
Kinchinjunga in the distance. Westward Chomiomo
rose abruptly to 22,000 feet elevation. To the east of
Kinchinjhow were the Cholamoo lakes, with the rugged
mass of Donkia stretching continuously southwards to
Forked Donkia, which overhung Momay Samdong.
A long sloping spur sweeps from the north of
Donkia to Bhomtso, rising to a height of more than
20,000 feet without snow. Over this spur the celebrated
Chumulari peeps, from its isolated position and
sharpness looking low and small; it appeared quite
near, though thirty-nine miles distant.
North-east of Chumulari, and far beyond it, are
several ranges of very much loftier mountains, which
terminated the view of the snowy Himalaya ; the distance
embraced being fully 150 miles, and perhaps
much more. Of one of these eastern masses I afterwards
took hearings and angular, heights from the
Khasia mountains, in Bengal, upwards of 200 miles
south-east of its position.
Turning to the northward, a singular contrast was
presented: the broad sandy valley of the Arun lay a
few miles off, and perhaps 1,500 feet below m e ; low
brown and red ridges, 18,000 to 19,000 feet high, of
stony sloping mountains with rocky tops, divided its
feeders, which appeared to be dry, and to occupy flat
sandy valleys. For thirty miles north not a particle
of snow was to be seen; beyond that, rugged purpleflanked
and snowy-topped mountains girdled the
horizon, appearing no nearer than they did from the
Donkia pass, and their angular heights and bearings
being almost the same as from that point of view.
The nearer of these are said to form the Kiang-lah
chain, the furthest I was told by various authorities
are in the salt districts north of Jigatzi.
To the north-east was the lofty region traversed by
Turner on his route by the Ramchoo lakes to Teshoo
Loombo; its elevation may he 17,000 feet above the
sea. Beyond it a gorge led through rugged mountains,
by which the Painom river flows north-west to the
Yaru; and at an immense distance to the north-east
were the Khamba mountains, a long blue range, which
divides the Lhassan or “ U ” from the “ Tsang ” or
Jigatzi province of Tibet; it appeared fully 100 miles
off, and was probably much more; and though so lofty
as to be heavily snowed throughout, was much below
the horizon-line of Bhomtso; it is crossed on the route
from Sikkim to Lhassa, and is considered very lofty,
from affecting the breathing.
But the mountains which appeared both the highest
and the most distant on the northern landscape, were
those I described when at Donlda, as being north of
Nepal, and beyond the Arun river. Both Dr. Campbell
and I made repeated estimates of their height and distance
by the eye; comparing their size and snow-level
with those of the mountains near us, and assuming
4000 to 5000 feet as the minimum height of their
snowy cap, this would give them an elevation of 23,000
to 25,000 feet. An excellent telescope brought out no