Siberia and the exile system . crowd to the inner circle, where we took orchestra seatsin the sand under a blazing sun and in a cloud of fine dustraised by the wrestlers. The crowd, as we soon discovered,was divided into two hostile camps, consisting respectivelyof Kirghis and Tatars. Ours was the Kirghis side, andopposite us were the Tatars. There were four masters ofceremonies, who were dressed in long green khaldts, andcarried rattan wands. The two Tatar officials would selecta, champion in their corner, throw a sash over his head, pullhim out into the arena, and then challenge the Kirghis
Siberia and the exile system . crowd to the inner circle, where we took orchestra seatsin the sand under a blazing sun and in a cloud of fine dustraised by the wrestlers. The crowd, as we soon discovered,was divided into two hostile camps, consisting respectivelyof Kirghis and Tatars. Ours was the Kirghis side, andopposite us were the Tatars. There were four masters ofceremonies, who were dressed in long green khaldts, andcarried rattan wands. The two Tatar officials would selecta, champion in their corner, throw a sash over his head, pullhim out into the arena, and then challenge the Kirghis officialsto match him. The latter would soon find a man aboutequal to the Tatar champion in size and weight, and thenthe two contestants would prepare for the struggle. Thefirst bout after we arrived was between a good-looking,smooth-faced young Kirghis, who wore a blue skull-cap anda red sash, and an athletic, heavily built Tatar, in a yellowskull-cap and a green sash. They eyed each other warily THE GREAT KIRGHIS STEPPE 165. 166 SIBEKIA for a nionuiit, and then clinched fiercely, each grasping withone hand his adversarys sash, while he endeavored withtlie other to get an advantageous hold of wrist, arm, orshoulder. Their heads were pressed closely together, theirbodies were bent almost into right angles at their waists,and their feet were kept well back to avoid trips. Presentlyboth secured sash and shoulder holds, and in a bent positionbacked each other around the arena, the Kirghis watchingfor an opportunity to trip and the Tatar striving to closein. The veins stood out like whipcords on their foreheadsand necks, and their swarthy faces dripped with perspirationas they struggled and manoeuvered in the scorching sun-shine, but neither of them seemed to be able to find anopening in the others guard or to get any decided last, however, the Tatar backed away suddenly, pullingthe Kirghis violently towards him; and as the latter steppedforward to recover his balance,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectsiberiarussiadescrip
