centuries of melting snow and
ice had cut deep into the mass of loose stones. At the point where the
two ranges met there stood before us the magnificent pale-green
ice-terraces of the Mangshan glacier, surmounted by great snow-fields
rising to the summit of the mountain range. Clouds enveloped the higher
peaks. The clear ice showed vertical streaks, especially in the lower
strata, where it was granulated. The base, the sides, and top of the
exposed section were covered with a thick coat of snow. The Mangshan
River rose from this glacier.

We left the glacier (17,800 feet above sea-level), to the right, and,
turning sharply northward, began our ascent toward the pass. The snow we
struggled over was so soft and deep that we sank into it up to our
waists. Occasionally there was a change from snow to patches of loose
debris and rotten rock. The fatigue of walking on such a surface was
simply overpowering. Having climbed up half a dozen steps among the
loose, cutting stones, we would slide back almost to our original point
of departure, followed by a small avalanche of shifting material that
only stopped when it got to the foot of the mountain.

At a height of 19,000 feet we walked for some time on soft snow, which
covered an ice-field with deep crevasses and cracks. We had to feel our
way with great caution, particularly as by the time we reached that spot
we had only the light of the moon to depend upon.

As we rose higher, I began to feel a curious exhaustion that I had never
experienced before. At sunset the thermometer which Kachi carried had
fallen 40 deg. within a few minutes, and the sudden change in the
temperature seemed to affect us all. We went on, with the exception of
Bijesing, who was seized with such violent mountain sickness that he was
unable to proceed. The doctor, too, a powerfully built man, was
suffering considerably. His legs, he said, had become like lead, and
each seemed to weigh a ton. The effort of lifting, or even moving, them
required all his energy. Although he was gasping pitifully for breath,
he struggled on bravely until we reached an elevation of 20,500 feet.
Here he was overcome with exhaustion and pain, and he was unable to go
further. Kachi Ram, the Rongba, and I went ahead, but we also were
suffering, Kachi complaining of violent beating in his temples and loud
buzzing in his ears. He gasped and staggered dangerously, threatening to
collapse at any moment. At 21,000 feet he fell flat