Gordon, Thomas Edward: The roof of the world: being the narrative of a journey over the high plateau of Tibet to the Russian frontier and the Oxus sources on Pamir (Edinburgh, 1876)

LITTLE PAMIR LAKE, EASTERN END.

CHAPTER IX.

ROOF OF THE WORLD—PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF PAMIR TOPOGRAPHY — DEPARTURE
FOR WAKHAN—NEZA TASH—RICH GRASS—AKTASH VALLEY—LITTLE PAMIR : ITS
LAKE AND STREAM—WATERSHED—SARIIADD STREAM—EXTENT OF LITTLE PAMIR
—REACH SARHADD—MET BY THE “ MIRZADA ”—IBEX-HOUNDS— REACH KILA PANJA
ON THE OXUS—WELCOMED BY THE MIR : VISIT HIM IN PIIS FORT—PRESENT STATE
OF PEACE AND SECURITY— TRIBUTE PAID TO KABUL—POPULATION—CONDITION
OF THE PEOPLE—ANIMALS—CROPS—TIIROUGH TRADE—STATE DEBT PAID OFF.

We were now about to cross tlie famous “ Bam-i-clunya,” “ The
Koof of the World,” uncler whieh name the elevatecl region of
the hitherto comparatively unknown Pamir tracts liad long
appeared in our maps. The first noteworthy travellers across
the Pamirs were the Chinese pilgrims, Hwui Seng and Sun Yun,
who passed in a.d. 518, and were followed in 644 by the more
famous Hwen Tsang. Then came that grancl olcl traveller Marco
Polo, in 1272, and Beneclict Goes in 1602. The accounts, how-
ever, given by these were too vague ancl general to convey any
correct iclea of the true nature of the country. Woocl, in 1838,

R