1923%20Memoir%20on%20Maps%20of%20Chinese%20Turkistan%20by%20Stein%20s

22 HISTORY 01: Sl'lt\.b;l'S [Chap. I
rlescel~ding frolu the gtrat 111nin mnge of the k't~u-lun \vltich overlooks
h''''',l,, the Ytwoog-kish Itea~l\vntc~rs fron~ tlic so~ttli. 11 series of lalic basins
esteuds alo~lg the foot of those silrlrs at elevations of 15,000 to 16,000
feet ; but the streams dmining the \vide valleys to the ttortlr rnrcly reach t.hoit, autl iirc lost ill
vast detrittts fans. :' Crossing the debonch~~r~s of tlicse valleys \vc 111ade o~ir way still \vcst\vards
over the easy divides, seln~ntilrg the lake basins ; Ijut lbrclgrers was tnade \.el:\. trying by the
italement weather and by tlre utter bnrren~~esr of the grou~ttl \vhirh togctlrcr \vitlt the great eleratiolls
tolcl lleavilY on our aocl ~Ionl;e!.u. \\.it11 tile tratirl)orl trearittg esha~~stiou atrd tho
fod,ler sllpl~l!- rl~nnin~ out it \\.as impossible to alxire tiurc either for t,rinltgt~li~tion or visits to the
heads of the valleys descentling fro111 that I~ortiol~ of the sot~thern K'un-Inn range \vhich
stretcl~es from the triangulated peak S/S'J.\I (23,309) sotttli-t~;~st\valds as far as cire. long. 80°30'.
After sis loll@ marches from \vItere \\e had left t,lte I'i~lur-Lal~alr-1% ro~~te fC. 468).
\ve t*ached the east end of a large salt lake, no\v mostly dry, \vIricll a
JO~IIISOII'S route party of the G. 'I'. S~~rve!. of I,n(Iik al)l,ears to hare sigl~ted some fortj--
~rtrared.
five - - rears before. 7: hlarcltittt. thence to the north-\vest for three nlore
days over veq- clisr~~al ground, n-e passed dr!- salt-elicrustetl lagoons ant1 struck by September
17th tmces of the forgotten route by \vlrieli Hiji Habibiillah had tried to open direct.
communicatio~~ with Ladik and over \vhiel~ Johlrson 11:itl bee11 talicn to Iiltotan in 18G5. i"
As \ye follo\ved the track still clearly mrnlied by cairt~s alltl other relics, and crossed two eas!.
passes to the uorth-xrest, the main range cante agaii~ i~tto ft~ll vie\\ alrtl :~llowed o11r position
accalatel~. to be fixed with tlte help of two triangulated 11caks (4/52rr or 13 5i ; 6/5nar or E 58)
of the G.T. Survey. At last we etnerged on Sel~tentber lStll ill tlte valley of an eastern feeder
of the Kara-kislt \\.Irere some abantlotred stone-huts st,ill slto\vetl Joh~~soll's rantp 'Kkrkkksh'. 77
It only remained to trace Johnsou's root,. to his 'Yangi-di\\Al~ Pass' by which he
crossecl the nlain K'un-lun rallgr to\~artls Karanghn-tigh. A line of
Ancent to glacier eol in
search of Ihr,gi-clo,rd,,, cairns sltowed the side valley \vilere tlle pass \votlld have to bc looked
for; but towards its head all trace of the old route had become obliterated
by advancing masses of ice ant1 snow. Inforntation giltlte~.ctl front sotne Kirghiz who
Itad joined us loner down in the Kara-kish valley, inducetl tne o~t Sel~tc~n~ber 2211d to make
a reconnaissnce with the surveyor due north up a steep glacier ~vhicl~ appeared to offer the
nearest approach to the watershed. \\'Iten after a verl tr! ing ascent over much-crevassed ice
and ?/be it was gained on a snowy col for n.llich hypsometer and aneroid readii~gs indicated
a height of about 19,900 feet, the extensire view opening northward supplied tlte hoped-for
links with our former surreys of 1900 and 1906 from the Khotau side of the main range. TH
But instead of the 'I'angi-dan.ftnl which was to give access eastwards to a tributary of the
Yurung-kish (Chomsha-jilga?), me had reached the crest-line of the main range where it
overlooks the glacier-fed headwaters of tlte Parlitz river which flows into the Kara-k~sh.
The triangulated snowy peak, 3/52 ar, 23,071 feet, rising to the east of our position,
effectively blocked all view towards the nnesplored portion of the range
Jouction of K'nn-Inn
rnnges. flanking the Yurung-kish headwaters. But as a compensation this
highest of our surrey stations furnished definite proof of the interesting
orographic fact that the high peak in question represents not merely the point of junction of
the two K'un-lun ranges between \vhich the Yurnng-kish rises, but that it is also the head of
the great northward spur dividing the drainage areas of the Yurling-kish and Kara-k&sh rivers.
Unfortunately this important gain to our surrey work was attended by a very serious
accident to myself. The delay at that icy height necees~tated by
Frostbite accident. mappiug and photogral)hic work, together with incidents arising from
a late and hurried descent to escape the risk of being altogether
7'SecSheet Nos. 15. AX. 2; 10. D. 2; Desert
Cathay, ii. pp. 469 sqq.
75 Compare in tho zUop illrrstvzling the routes
lakenhy Mr. Juhnsot~ the lake shown in circ. 80' long.
36" 1J' lat., wit11 the one to sonth of our C. 475 in
Sheet No. 10. D. 2 ; see Derert Cathuy, ii. pp. 465 sqq.
Cf. above pp. 7, 13 Bq.; D~ert Cathay, ii. pp. 466
sq. The crirn 8ymbhol in the N.E. corner of Sheet NO.
10. C. 2 correspond8 approximately to 'Calnp Pangpli'
in Jol~nson's map.
77 See Shect Nu. 10. C. 1; cf. Stnge 18, in Itinerary
athched to john son'^ lteport, dated April 22, 1866, to
tho Superinl.endent, Q.T. Survey.
in See Sl~eels Nos. 10. C. 1 ; 9. C. 4. For tlre ascent
to the eol and the view pained from it, cf. Dererl
Catlay, ii. pp. 476 sqq., wit11 Panorama XIXI.