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450 ADVENTURES IN TIBET.
caravan we came upon Hamra Kul lying in a hollow of
the rocks, unable to move. He declared he could not
take another step ; so I ordered some of the Tibetans
who were with me to look after him, and bring him into
camp. Our caravan was now rapidly thinning away.
The cold was intense, and the wind cut like a knife as we
rode against it. It numbed us, it chilled us to the bone,
it paralysed us. My men and the Tibetans were travelling
on foot, though I had to keep the saddle myself, for I find
that I am unable to walk when the altitude is more than
16,000 feet. One of the camels gave up and was left behind ;
I remained beside him, and, slitting open his pack-saddle,
gave him the straw to eat. He ate it readily enough,
but was unable to go much further before we had to kill
him. After riding on a short distance I came upon two
other camels which were unable to keep up with the
caravan. The next invalids I came across were two
horses in charge of Kutchuk ; one was the horse I rode
when we started from Kashgar two years before, the other
one of those that Kamba Bombo gave me. Our next
camp was very gloomy. Mohammed Tokta was no better,
Almaz complained that he was almost blind, and Khodai
Kullu was suffering from mountain sickness. We attended
to their comfort as best we could, although very nearly half
the caravan was now on the sick list.
Upon reaching the district of Setcha, 16,560 feet above
the sea, we had to rest ; for in the first place it was necessary
to wait for the various men and animals that were lagging
behind, and in the second place we were to be met there
by the yaks which had been promised us, and conse-
quently we had to divide up our baggage into smaller loads.
The thermometer now dropped to half a degree below
zero :
’
winter had begun.
From this place I made, with Chernoff and the Lama
and a small lightly-equipped caravan, a four days’ ex-
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