appeared to run along the whole side of the havli, and
then to another building, wherein were only a few
horses, donkeys, cows, and a camel; but there was
said to be accommodation in the two stables, or sheds,
for a hundred cattle. More novel than these last
buildings, however, was a room on the right at our
entrance, where our host kept some half-dozen hawks.
Hunting by means of the falcon, goshawk, and
common eagle, is the favourite sport of the natives.*
Within the walls of the fortress at Manak was an
excellent garden, with rose-bushes, peach and other
fruit trees, and standard vines. These, in the absence
of leaves, and not looking at them closely, led me
to remark to Sevier, “ Here at last are filbert-trees,”
of which, however, we saw none in Central Asia.
They told me they make o f grapes an intoxicating
drink called za/ip, but that it keeps only six months.
Walking round the garden, I looked carefully at the
walls. A t a height of 3 feet from the ground these
measured 3 feet 8 inches in thickness, and in the
delicate daughter of Babylon return to her work : | Take the millstones
and grind meal.” I found the custom obtaining in 1879 as far
east as the Ussuri, where turning the hand-mill in a Cossack’s house
was the recognized work of the wife.
* The birds of prey themselves are caught simply by stretching a
net on short stakes and tying small birds underneath. The hawk, on
swooping down, entangles its talons in the net, whereupon the hunter
brings him into his tent, feeds him with his own hands on meat for a
twelvemonth, and then takes him out to catch other birds. Whilst
engaged in the chase the trained bird rests on the left arm of the
master, its eyes being covered with a leathern hood. The game is
started with a drum, fastened to the master’ s saddle-bow, the bird’s
hood is snatched off, and the hawk darts after the quarry. When this is
caught, the hunter comes up and releases it, but gives the captor only
the head and brains. Should the bird fail in overtaking the game, it
is enticed back to the arm of the falconer with meat, which he always
carries with him for such an emergency. The hawk I saw in the house
of the Divan-beggi, at Khiva, was being trained by means of pieces of
cotton-wool thrown on the ground.
circular towers, or bastions, at the corners, were little
chambers, into which I should imagine it would be
easier to dig than penetrate through the other parts o f
the fortress.* We have not, however, as yet entered
the owner’s residence, which was a house with rooms
on either side of a passage, and, adjoining, two rooms
for servants. On either side of the passage, at the
entrance, was a raised dais or platform, like that at
the gateway, only larger, and where I suppose in hot
weather much time would be, spent. Further in, on
the left, was the door of the master’ s room, and
opposite, the door of the kitchen, whilst beyond the
kitchen was a room reserved for strangers, called the
“ guest chamber.” Here we were treated to a meal,
and the rich bek told us that his fortress cost ^120
to build. He invited us to stay for a night; but this
I declined for lack of time, and at half-past 11 started
again.
Within about a mile of Manak are the ruins of the
fortress Uiangen, and two miles further is Ambar,—-a
mere row of empty stalls, where, as we passed through,
they told us a bazaar is held. Other places on the
road, beyond Manak, are Kannai, Govozali, Beurak,
and Kiatly. Beyond this is Tashauz, where we
arrived at half-past three, having accomplished since
the morning 23 miles.
* The walls were simply of rammed mud, such as “ thieves would
dig through (Stopva-crovcri) and steal” (Matt. vi. 19). Ezekiel (viii. 8)
was directed to “ Dig now in the wall,” and Job (xxiv. 16), referring
to the lawless and murderer, says, “ In the dark they dig through
houses, which they have marked for themselves in the day time,” a
practice no doubt common enough in the wild country through which we
were passing.