File:Ruins of desert Cathay - personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China (1912) (14780733054).jpg

Identifier: ruinsofdesertcat01stei (find matches)
Title: Ruins of desert Cathay : personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Stein, Aurel, Sir, 1862-1943 Archaeological Survey of India
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Macmillan
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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able snow-shoot from the pass wasjoined by some smaller gorges and the meeting masses ofsnow had thrown up a mighty barricade, I halted to letthe whole convoy assemble. A dangerous place, theChitralis called it, earlier in the season; but now thecoagulated dark surface here and lower down in the gorgeshowed that it lay well beyond the actual avalanche zone.While I refreshed myself with cold tea and a hurried break-fast of sorts, the watching of the straggling parties behindafforded amusement. I only wished the light of the earlymorning in this confined debouchure had been strongenough to permit of a snapshot at my new cook. Withthree nimble Chitralis to support him he was broughtdown more like a log than an animate being. The next three miles descent to Ziarat seemed easy,though snow choked the bottom of the gorge to a greatdepth. The high snowy range which divides the mainvalley of the Chitral River from the Bashgal portion ofKafiristan, rose in glorious tints before me. The sides of
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GORGE NEAR ZIARAT, BELOW LOWARAI PASS. cH.iii ON AVALANCHE TRACKS 25 the gorge became more and more wooded, and the many-fine fir-trees and pines which avalanches had swept downinto the snow-bed, delightfully scented the air (Fig. 8).How often had I enjoyed this avalanche perfume in thegullies descending from high forest - clothed Margs inKashmir and Kaghan ! As we approached Ziarat myChitrali guides pointed out the huge avalanche which fourweeks earlier had swept down a precipitous side valley andalmost overwhelmed the block-houses of the Levy post. It was a comfort to view this snow monster, re-calling by its furrowed contortions the dragons drawn inold maps of the Alps to mark glaciers—and to think thatwe were safe now from risks of this kind. But still greaterwas the relief as I counted men and loads all completebefore the smoke-begrimed log walls. After the endlesswriting, etc., it had cost me to secure my passage throughChitral, I could not help looking back with some triumpht

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