C H A P T E R L X IX .
FR OM K U N IA VEZIR TO S A R Y K AM ISH .
Order of march and loading camels.—Tragical end of a china basin.
— Climbing a Camel’s hump. —The Oxus bed at Ak-bugut.—Description
of old Oxus bed from Kunia Urgenj.—The Butenau plateau
and Kazak tombs.— Cliffs of the Ust Urt and traces of Jenkinson.
The Kitchkine-daria.—The pool at I )ekche.— Further description
of the Oxus bed.—Wells of Sary Kamish.—Correction of
Murad for stealing. — Character of guides.— Arrival at Sary
Kamish.
urging upon Tailly that I was anxious
V V to cross the desert with all possible despatch,
he had intimated that our plan would be to encamp
about sunset, let the camels graze for a couple of
hours, then collect them for 2 hours’ sleep, and go on
again at midnight. He thought it necessary to add
that we must get up when called, or he could not
undertake to get us to our destination in the specified
time. He evidently thought he was dealing with
feather-bed travellers, whose night and morning views
about early rising would not agree, instead of with one
who professes to rise at 5 all the year round, and who
gets up every morning at the bidding of an alarum.
I had taken with me one of these comforts of my life,
and before midnight was stirring up the natives, who
lay snoring round the fire, by gentle applications of
shoe-leather. T hey did not seem to appreciate this
disturbance of their “ b e au ty” sleep, but I thought it
better from the outset to enforce discipline, and made
them stir.
W e also lent a hand in loading. I cannot pretend
that getting a caravan under way on a dark night is
no more uncomfortable than changing carriages at a
railway junction ; still, both no doubt have their points
of interest. Sevier and I always undertook the
arrangement of our cradles, which were hoisted by 4
on to the back o f the leader camel. Then came the
loading of the water-barrels, oval in shape, and resting
on short, wide ladders, against the animals’ flanks— a
great improvement on tursuks, or skins, which communicate,
I am told, an ill-flavour to the water they carry.
For the loan of these barrels we were indebted also to
the kindness of General Grotenhielm. This load was
assigned to the animal we had last hired, a she-camel,
that gave herself airs like her mistress. So long as
the creature was let alone, all was w e ll; but when made
to kneel, whether to be laden or unladen, she whined
and roared as if being imposed upon, and tried to get
up before she was told. I assumed the function, therefore,
of holding her down by the nose, and more than
once had to thank merely my own cleverness in not
getting my fingers bitten. She was, however, a strong
beast, that never flagged. T h e third animal carried
our portmanteaus and bags ; the fourth had a sack o f
barley and fodder for the horses. On the fifth were
the tent poles and a strong crate, with our food and
live-stock. By this last I mean chickens tied by the
legs, and at first suspended by Murad from the top of
the saddle, until I saw them suffering, and directed them
to be placed in the crate. Even so they voted camel