. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. ity by anumber of guns. Within its area are the magazines and barracks,but as a military work it is long out of date. No foreigner hasever visited it, so I remarked to the Governor-General that Ishould like to do so. He was surprised, but upon reflection, see-ing no reason why he should refuse, consented, and issued awritten order that I should be admitted. The officer in commandwas the most surprised individual in Central Asia when I arrivedwith my order. He conducted me i
. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. ity by anumber of guns. Within its area are the magazines and barracks,but as a military work it is long out of date. No foreigner hasever visited it, so I remarked to the Governor-General that Ishould like to do so. He was surprised, but upon reflection, see-ing no reason why he should refuse, consented, and issued awritten order that I should be admitted. The officer in commandwas the most surprised individual in Central Asia when I arrivedwith my order. He conducted me into the guard-room within 284 ALL THE RUSSIAS the walls, and then inquired courteously what it was that I wishedto see; for, said he, There is nothing whatever remarkablein the citadel. I beg your pardon, I replied, but I believe there is a mostextraordinary thing here at this moment. What may that be? he asked, in much surprise. An Englishman, I said; and he laughed and admitted thatit was indeed so. This citadel, however, reminds me of an inci-dent which explains how Chernaieff came to conquer these peo- iSOtjgSj^. Father and Son in Tashkent. pies as he did. After the storming, and even before the deadnatives had all been buried, and almost before the firing hadceased, finding himself war-stained and uncomfortable from nothaving changed his clothes for days, he went, alone and unat-tended, on the very afternoon of his victory, in spite of the pro-tests of his staff, to the vapour-baths in the native city. Suchextraordinary coolness and indifference made a greater impres-sion than all his Cossacks and cannon. This is indeed how na-tives are taught who is their master, as our own earlier Indianannals abundantly show. ADMINISTRATION IN CENTRAL ASIA 285 Statistics of Central Asian trade are not easy to procure, forRussia is very jealous of foreign curiosity there. The annualreport, for example, of the Trans-Caspian Railway is printed intwo parts, one the military and confidential
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