travel very fatiguing, and one of them succumbed,
though the others were ready, on stopping, for barley
and water, until it came to their turn to be eaten.
The sixth camel brought up the rear with a bundle on
its back as big as itself, consisting of the tent, on the
top of which Murad loved to mount, and, if possible,
go to sleep, whilst Nazar trudged in front, or rode one
o f the horses, dragging on the foremost camel of the
nose-tied caravan, which had very much the appearance
of a Kirghese family flitting, save that we had no
cows.
Rosy, though much improved by doctoring, was not
yet sufficiently recovered to mount a horse without
pain. Accordingly, on leaving Kunia Vezir, Sevier
generously gave up his cradle and rode, whilst Rosy
and I, on opposite sides, “ turned in.” Presently we
had to “ turn out,” for about 4 o ’clock I heard an
ominous cracking o f my cradle, and I thought it best
to get down.
But how should I make N azar comprehend ? Sevier
was not at hand, and Rosy was snoring. Almost the
only native word I knew was Yakshi, meaning “ All
r ig h t !” whereas just then I feared things were all
wrong, and I vainly called out in Russian, S to i! or
stop. Suddenly remembering the word used by the
drivers when they wished the camel to kneel, I shouted
C h o k ! C h o k ! whereupon the sapient animal went
down suddenly upon its knees with a thud. T he jerk
broke out the side of my cradle completely, and I
descended to terra Jirma with unexpected alacrity.
My head, however, was pillowed on down, and
fortunately I was not hurt. Meanwhile, on the other
side of the ship things had taken a different turn,
explanatory of the pathetic end o f the china basin, as