reath settling and
congealing on my face.

During our night marches up and down mountain ranges of great height we
naturally had many adventures and escapes. In constant storms of grit
and snow we crossed range after range, travelling at night and hiding
during the day, always camping at great elevations. We underwent
considerable privations. I steered my men toward the Rakastal, or
Devil's Lake. One day, having risen to 17,550 feet, we obtained a
magnificent view of the two great sheets of water, the Lafan-cho and
Mafan-cho, more commonly known to non-Tibetans under the names of
Rakastal and Mansarowar lakes.

To the north of the lakes stood the magnificent Tize, the sacred Kelas
Mountain, overtopping by some 2000 feet all the other snowy peaks of
the Gangri chain. This chain extended roughly from north-west to
south-east. From this spot we could see more distinctly than from Lama
Chokten the band round the base of the mountain, which, according to
legend, was formed by the rope of the Rakas (devil) trying to tear down
this throne of Siva.

Tize, the great sacred peak, was of fascinating interest, owing
to its peculiar shape. It resembled the giant roof of a temple.
Perhaps it lacked the gracefulness of sweeping curves. Tize was
angular--uncomfortably angular. Its height, the vivid color of its
base, and the masses of snow that covered its slopes certainly gave
it a peculiar attraction. Otherwise it struck me as being intensely
unpicturesque--at least from the point from which I saw it and from
which the entire face of it was visible. When clouds toned down and
modified its shape, Tize appeared at its best from a painter's point of
view. Under these conditions, I have thought it beautiful, especially at
sunrise, with one side tinted red and yellow, and its exposed rocky mass
standing majestic against a background of shiny gold. With my telescope
I could plainly distinguish, especially on the east side, the defile
along which the worshippers make the circuit at the base of the
mountain. I was told that some pilgrims actually march round it on the
snowy ledge directly over the base, just above the darker band of rock
described before. On the south-west side could be seen, on the top of a
lower peak, a gigantic _obo_ (a pyramid of stone).

The journey round Tize usually takes three days. Some accomplish it in
two days, and under favorable circumstances it has even been done in
one day. It is usual for the pilgrims to