manuscripts and books. I had read in Dr. Wolff’s'
memoir that the Jews of Bokhara had a manuscript
of the prophet Daniel, wherein, in Chapter viii. i4> the
words “ Unto two thousand and three hundred days,”
read “ 2,400” days (which agrees with the Vatican
copy of the Septuagint, whilst the Armenian translation
reads 2,068), but I could not find this manuscript
in the synagogue. They showed me, however* a large
number of old torahs, or copies of the law, throwa
together pell-mell on a platform or loft, midway
between the floor and the ceiling, which I suppose in
this case represented their g en iza h* Nothing would
satisfy me short of being allowed to mount the platform,
and see and handle the manuscripts, so that I
might convince myself that, as the rabbi asserted, they
were not ancient. A ladder was brought, therefore,
and up I went, accompanied by one of the Jews who
spoke a few words of French, which when my custodians
discovered, they were on tenterhooks, lest we
should speak privately, and they requested that I
would speak all I had to say through my interpreter.
T h e y also made it apparent to the Jew that they did
not like his being on the platform with me. H e
remained, however, whilst I looked at one or two,
which did, indeed, appear to be what I had been
told namely, disused Torahs— though in some cases
apparently not much soiled. I found it was customary
for persons to leave at their death a sufficiency o f
money to purchase a new manuscript for the synagogue,
and I inferred that this must be a popular form
* It is in such a place the Jews put their copies of the law that are
soiled or ritually unfit for use, if only, for instance, a single word be-
rubbed out by wear. So literally do they interpret the passage, “ Ye
«hall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye
diminish ought from i t ” (Deut. iv. 2).
of legacy in Bokhara, for I should estimate there may
have been 20 or 30 on the loft, covered with dust, and
otherwise not inviting to a further search.
There was, moreover, another obstacle to my investigation
just then, inasmuch as the J ews had crowded
in on the very tiptoe of expectation as to what the
foreigners could mean by visiting their synagogue;
and when I presented to the rabbi my Jewish letters,
A JEW OF C EN TR A L A S IA .
written in “ the holy language,” they swarmed round,
leaving us scarcely breathing-room. Some of the
boys with their coal-black eyes were extremely handsome,
but of all the crowds I have ever been in, I
can remember none like those of the Asiatic Jews at
Khokand, Samarkand, and Bokhara. They were not
disrespectful or rude, and they made way when I
wished to move, but the curiosity depicted on their
countenances was most striking. W e were, I suppose,