natives are outwardly civil, whilst they curse the
infidels at heart, and the Emir is obedient to the
Imperial will. The Russians, in fact, call him “ Nash
Chelovak’' or “ our man.” We were told that if only
an ordinary letter be sent from the Turkistan authorities,
the bearer is feasted, presented with 3 or 4 khalats,
and supplied with money to return, whilst the number of
khalats sometimes presented by the Emir to the higher
officials at Samarkand and other principal places, it
was said, would stock a clothing establishment.
My reception was, therefore, in keeping with the
foregoing. One Russian had told me that, having a
letter from the Governor-General, I need trouble for
nothing ; and another had prophesied that the Emir
would give me ten times the number of presents that I
offered ; yet I confess that I was taken aback at the
way in which 1 and my retinue were supplied with
board, lodging, and attendance, to say nothing of
presents. The splendour of my turquoise bridle,
embroidered saddle-cloth, and robes of honour, dazzles
all who see them, and they are rendered doubly valuable,
of course, by the circumstances under which they
were received. But besides these additional favours
bestowed, it was as if another son of the East had
said, “ Howsoever, let all thy wants lie upon me.”*
Nor did I quite see in Bokhara how duly to acknowledge
such thorough-going hospitality; but I went
carefully through my kit for such things as I could
possibly spare, and which I deemed might be acceptable
to the Emir. There was first my india-rubber
bed and pillows, which I thought might be a comfort
to his Majesty’s bones in case of illness. Accordingly
I showed one of the attendants how to screw on the
* Judges xix. 20.
bellows and inflate the bed. This appeared greatly to
tickle his fancy, though I doubt whether he had used
a screw before. T o this I added an excellent filter, to
preserve his Majesty, I said, from r ish ta ; a pair of
TH E AUTHOR IN ROBE OF HONOUR, W ITH TURQUOISE BRIDLE, PRESENTED BY T H E EMIR
OF BOKHARA.
mosquito curtains, the like to which I had seen nothing
in the khanate; an electro pepper and salt case, presented
to me by Messrs. Langton and Son, whose
“ travelling requisites” I have found so useful, besides
VOL. II, 1 j