his own path, and so did Sevier. It was amusing
sometimes to see the creatures after they had chosen
a track, and found it more difficult than was anticipated,
hark back and try another. I did not, at the time,
think of the danger we ran, if a horse stumbled, of
breaking one’s skull against the jutting rocks on every
hand ; but when reading from Dr. Schuyler that only
one of his party had a sufficiently strong head to make
the whole descent on horseback, it occurred to me
that we should have done more wisely to dismount
and allow the horses to be led. On completing the
descent among the rocks, where the path was barely
wide enough for two horses to pass, and issuing from
the Takhta Karacha defile, the road widened as we
approached Kainar-bulak, our first Bokhariot village.
W e were now only 7,500 paces, or say five miles,
from Russian territory, where one may find the newest
outcome of the intelligence of the nineteenth century,
yet we seemed to have dropped from the clouds
among men and things 3,000 or 4,0,00 years behind.
I f what we saw among the Kirghese recalled thè days
o f Abraham, the new experience brought to one’s
thoughts a number o f messengers despatched by one
of the kings of Israel. W e were met by the Bek, or
Governor of the district, also a military officer sent
direct from the Emir, with several others, wearing turbans
of spotless white, and clad, one in striped silk,
another in a robe of cloth of gold, and all mounted on
gaily caparisoned horses. T h e y had come to inquire
for the welfare of various personages, to receive and
welcome me, and put a series of questions respecting
my health and my journey. After shaking hands and
saluting me with an Amavi, the Bek proceeded to ask
in stereotype fashion, “ Is the Emperor well? Is the
Governor-General Chernaieff well? and is General
Abramoff well ?” This was spoken in Turki to Yakoob,
who put it to Sevier in Russ, after which it reached
me in English. I replied that, when I passed through
Petersburg, his Imperial Majesty was well, also that
in Petersburg I saw General Chernaieff, who was well,
and that General Abramoff, whom we had recently
left was in good health. This principal messenger,
having completed his ceremonious inquiries, moved on
in front, and the old general or colonel came up to
announce that the Emir had sent him to say that he
was very glad we had come, that he hoped I was not
greatly exhausted by the difficulties of the way, and
begged us to take refreshment in Kainar.
Kainar is a kish-lak, or village, as it is usually
rendered, though the word literally means winter
quarters, just as lai4 ak means summer quarters. In
: summer quarters the habitation used is a tent, but in
i winter quarters it is often a mud house, which in
summer is deserted or turned into a store. In the
: present instance we were conducted through the yard
of what I suppose was the Bek’s house, our horses
picketed to a circle of posts, and ourselves shown
into a room where was a table evidently rigged up for
the occasion, and groaning beneath a dozen, if not a
score, of trays of grapes, sweetmeats, almonds, sugared
nuts, melons, and other kinds of fruit. Upon these I
concluded we were to make a meal, and I began the
attack, till it appeared these things were only by way
of pudding and sweets presented in inverse order to
English fashion, and to be followed by more substantial
dishes of meat, boiled chicken, and rice. This was
a lesson for me, and so was the next performance in
clearing the table; for whereas, at home, one is brought