DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31772#0038
16
TRAVELS IN TURKISTAN.
Baltistan, to wliom it makes a great saving of time and distance
wlien communicatino’ with their brethren who have settled in
O
Yarkand. A colony of Baltis has long existed at Yarkand,
chiefly engagecl in agriculture, and a journey to ancl fro is
made every year. The thermometer markecl 18° at 3 p.m. on
the summit of the Susser pass (17,800 feet), and it sank during
the nio'ht to 6° below zero.
On descending the pass we again came upon the Shyok,
which we hacl crossed and left a few days before. The Shyok
is the principal mountain tributary of the Indus, and rises in
the Karakoram mountains to the south-east of that pass. It
flows south-east to as far soutli as Leh, when it turns abruptly
to the north-west, ancl continues in that clirection till the Indus
is reached at Keris. Its upper course is rushing ancl turbulent
clown a narrow glen, but its middle course is either broacl or rapid,
or clivided into numerous branches; in the lower part it is
generally a furious rapid, confmed between precipitous cliffs.
In the depth of winter, when completely frozen, the stream is
followed for a great part of the Karakoram journey, tlius
avoicling the troublesome Susser pass, ancl the long roacl over
the high Dipsang plain, both of whicli come in the summer
route. The precipitous nature of its banks and the adjoining
mountains prevent any passage along it when the ice breaks
up. Mr. Johnson arranged to return by the river route on his
way back after parting with us at the frontier, to examine the
locality, with the view of bringing engineering skill to bear on
its difficulties; but I believe that the necessary operations to
open a roacl were found to be too extensive to be undertaken
at present. Considering the extraordinary and extreme cliffi-
culties of climate and want of grass always to be met with in
TRAVELS IN TURKISTAN.
Baltistan, to wliom it makes a great saving of time and distance
wlien communicatino’ with their brethren who have settled in
O
Yarkand. A colony of Baltis has long existed at Yarkand,
chiefly engagecl in agriculture, and a journey to ancl fro is
made every year. The thermometer markecl 18° at 3 p.m. on
the summit of the Susser pass (17,800 feet), and it sank during
the nio'ht to 6° below zero.
On descending the pass we again came upon the Shyok,
which we hacl crossed and left a few days before. The Shyok
is the principal mountain tributary of the Indus, and rises in
the Karakoram mountains to the south-east of that pass. It
flows south-east to as far soutli as Leh, when it turns abruptly
to the north-west, ancl continues in that clirection till the Indus
is reached at Keris. Its upper course is rushing ancl turbulent
clown a narrow glen, but its middle course is either broacl or rapid,
or clivided into numerous branches; in the lower part it is
generally a furious rapid, confmed between precipitous cliffs.
In the depth of winter, when completely frozen, the stream is
followed for a great part of the Karakoram journey, tlius
avoicling the troublesome Susser pass, ancl the long roacl over
the high Dipsang plain, both of whicli come in the summer
route. The precipitous nature of its banks and the adjoining
mountains prevent any passage along it when the ice breaks
up. Mr. Johnson arranged to return by the river route on his
way back after parting with us at the frontier, to examine the
locality, with the view of bringing engineering skill to bear on
its difficulties; but I believe that the necessary operations to
open a roacl were found to be too extensive to be undertaken
at present. Considering the extraordinary and extreme cliffi-
culties of climate and want of grass always to be met with in