C H A P T E R X I I I .
F R OM SER G IO PO L TO A L T YN - IM M E L .
Departure from Sergiopol.— Miserable station at Djus A g a ch .— Desiccated
lake-bed near A la-K u l.— Arganatinsk.^View of Lake
B a lkha sh: its dimensions, tributaries, water, shores, fish, and
harbour.— “ Ehbi ” wind and sandstorm.— Lepsinsk station.— Lepsa
river.— Accelerated posting.— Branch road to Lepsinsk colony:
its agriculture.— Sungarian A la-Tau mountains.— Arasan sulphur
baths.— Kopal.— Arrival at Altyn-Immel.
ON trotting out of Sergiopol towards evening on
the 27th of August, the road lay along the
valley of the river, that gave its name to our first
station, Middle Ayaguz, where we drank tea, and
* The stations between Sergiopol and Viemy, with the distances
between in versts, are as follows :—
Sergiopol—l ili Sarabulakskiy . 26
Sredne Ayaguz - 3 2 Vyselok-Karabulakskiy . . 21
Taldi-Kuduk . . 29 Djangyz-Agachskiy . 22
Kyzyl-Kiy . 24 Tsaritsinskiy . . 21
Malo A y a g u z . . 26 Kugalinskiy . . . . 26
Djus A g a ch . . 26 Altyn-Immelskiy . • 35
Arganatinsk . • 31 Kuian-Kuzskiy . 28
Ashchi-bulak • 29 Karachekinskiy . 28
Lepsinsky • 34 Chingildinskiy • 31
Baskanskiy . . 29 Uiisky . . . . . 24
Ak-suisky . 28 Kutentaiskiy . • 23
Abakumovskiy . 26 Karasuiskiy . . 22
Arasanskaia . . 21 Viemy . . . . . 24
Kopal . 29
Total . .
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Ak-Ichke • 27 • 715
then pushed on to Taldi-Kuduk. Here a few soldiers,
with a handful of prisoners on the march, had put up
for the night, the soldiers stretching themselves on
the ground in Central Asian fashion outside the post-
house. A t the first station the post-master bought
the whole of the books I offered for his selection, and
now these soldiers readily purchased more; after
which, our horses being ready, we posted all night,
A POST-HOUSE “ C H AM B R E DE TOILETTE.**
passed K yzy l-Kiy and Little Ayaguz, and in the
morning reached Djus Agach. It was a picket of the
most desolate character— the most miserable station
we had seen— a tumbledown house in the desert.
Here we breakfasted, and took our morningO: wash,’ but
both under difficulties. One of the inconveniences of
post travelling in Asiatic Russia is the absence of good
lavatory accommodation. The common method among
the Russian peasants of washing the hands is to