Chinese Turkestan with caravan and rifle . teen miles, crossing the Karakash River about amile,and a half after starting; it runs in severalchannels, and what I suppose may be called in ageneral way its bed is about a mile wide. Thewater was low and the fords easy, but in case ofneed there is a boat, and we were escorted acrossby a number of boatmen, who of course had to berewarded for their quite superfluousservices. Thencame a mile or so of rice-flats, producing as muchin the way of weeds as rice, after which we enteredthe town of Karakash. This is a big and thrivingplace, with a very long b
Chinese Turkestan with caravan and rifle . teen miles, crossing the Karakash River about amile,and a half after starting; it runs in severalchannels, and what I suppose may be called in ageneral way its bed is about a mile wide. Thewater was low and the fords easy, but in case ofneed there is a boat, and we were escorted acrossby a number of boatmen, who of course had to berewarded for their quite superfluousservices. Thencame a mile or so of rice-flats, producing as muchin the way of weeds as rice, after which we enteredthe town of Karakash. This is a big and thrivingplace, with a very long bazaar. The street isnarrow, and as it is at this season covered in withawnings to keep out the sun—a custom general inCentral Asian towns—the effect was rather likeriding through a long and populous tunnel. Wecamped in an orchard near the serai, which isbeyond Zawa proper, and were again treated to asmall buran; but as there was no sand to blowabout it did not inconvenience us much. On the 21 St, or, to be more strictly accurate, just. KHQTAN TO LEH. 191 before dawn on the 22nd, we arrived at Pialma,after a long march of twenty-eight miles through amost dreary country, beginning with high sand-hillsand going on across a level gravelly plain. Formost of the way across this the road is marked outwith poles, and at one place a lamp is hoisted forthe guidance of travellers—most necessary pre-cautions, as the track is not well defined and nothingcould be easier than to miss it. In fact, our guidedid so immediately the poles came to an end ; butin the darkness we heard some donkey-men singing,and they put us right. Among the sand-hills is amazar where an immense number of pigeons live,supported among the seas of sand by the charity oftravellers, a small gift of grain being a recognisedobligation. This the birds know well, and as soonas anyone comes in sight they start flying andwalking down the road to meet him. Like Hedin, we were told that any rash hawkwhich should ve
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjecthunting, bookyear1901
