the mountain sides like cataracts, and seemed actually to descend upon
the river-bed; there could be no serious difficulty in reaching them by
following up the river, which was wide and open; but it seemed rather an
objectless thing to do, for the main range looked hopeless, and my
curiosity about the nature of the country above the gorge was now quite
satisfied; there was no money in it whatever, unless there should be
minerals, of which I saw no more signs than lower down.

However, I resolved that I would follow the river up, and not return
until I was compelled to do so. I would go up every branch as far as I
could, and wash well for gold. Chowbok liked seeing me do this, but it
never came to anything, for we did not even find the colour. His dislike
of the main range appeared to have worn off, and he made no objections to
approaching it. I think he thought there was no danger of my trying to
cross it, and he was not afraid of anything on this side; besides, we
might find gold. But the fact was that he had made up his mind what to
do if he saw me getting too near it.

We passed three weeks in exploring, and never did I find time go more
quickly. The weather was fine, though the nights got very cold. We
followed every stream but one, and always found it lead us to a glacier
which was plainly impassable, at any rate without a larger party and
ropes. One stream remained, which I should have followed up already, had
not Chowbok said that he had risen early one morning while I was yet
asleep, and after going up it for three or four miles, had seen that it
was impossible to go farther. I had long ago discovered that he was a
great liar, so I was bent on going up myself: in brief, I did so: so far
from being impossible, it was quite easy travelling; and after five or
six miles I saw a saddle at the end of it, which, though covered deep in
snow, was not glaciered, and which did verily appear to be part of the