National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

OVER THE KARA-KORUM AND THE SUGET-DAVAN.

417

that is used by caravan traffic. Its altitude is 5658 m., or 85o m. higher than the top of Mont Blanc. On the summit two cairns of stones have been built. The declivity on the northern side is rather steeper at first, but it soon grows easier, and finally becomes very flat.

Only a few minutes below the pass we came to the painful spot where Dalgleish was murdered in i 888. The sad event is commemorated by a heap of stones and a marble slab, though the latter has been broken. On one of the fragments I read however the letters -LEISH. One or two of my people told me, that in the winter of the year mentioned the snow lay very deep all round the pass, so that Dalgleish's caravan had to pitch their tents on the snow just under it.

* In connection with the unhappy fate which befell Dalgleish at the northern foot of the Karakorum, I will add a few particulars which have come to my knowledge. Dalgleish had made several commercial journeys to Jarkent and other towns in the Tarim basin, and had crossed the Kara-korum mountains at several places. At the same time he drew up maps and made observations of great value, enlarging in no slight degree our knowledge of the interior of Asia. In the year 1885 he participated in Carey's great journey in East Turkestan and drew up a map of their joint itinerary. He had made it his life's object to regain the trade of East Turkestan for England and therefore himself accompanied his caravans to Jarkent. At the same time he learnt that everywhere Russian commodities were sold cheaper than English, because the Russian means of • communication are both shorter and more convenient. Owing to his patriotic efforts he had made his name popular both in India and in England, so that, when the news came, that he had been murdered in March 1888 whilst making a fresh journey to Jarkent, it awakened both general sorrow and sympathy.

As soon as the news reached M. Petrovskij, the energetic Russian consul-general at Kaschgar, he at once instituted inquiries. Muhamed Isa, one of Dalgleish's attendants, who was subsequently with Dutreuil de Rhins when he was murdered, upon his arrival in Kaschgar was subjected to a sharp and stern cross-examination. The Sart merchants, Russian subjects staying in Jarkent for business purposes, were called upon to give all the information they could calculated to throw light upon the crime, and, finally, special messengers were despatched to the scene of the occurrence. In this way M. Petrovskij succeeded in clearing the affair up, and he kindly gave me the following information about it, which deserves to be rescued from oblivion.

In March 1888, then, Dalgleish was on his way to the pass of Kara-korum, with a caravan of Indian goods, which he proposed to sell in Jarkent. During the journey he was joined by an Afghan merchant, Dod Muhamed Khan, a man whom Dalgleish knew, and who begged to be allowed to bear him company to Jarkent. Dalgleish acquiesced in the request, and instructed Osman, his caravan-baschi, to appoint the Afghan a place where he could march with the caravan, and a corner in one of their two tents where he could sleep at night. For three or four days they accordingly journeyed on together. After they had pitched their tents between the pass and Barangtsa, Dalgleish went into the men's tent, where Dod Muhamed sat drinking tea. Dalgleish sat down and joined in the conversation. Shortly afterwards Dod Muhamed Khan rose and went out, and then fired a shot through the tent-canvas, which struck Dalgleish in the right shoulder. The Englishman sprang to his feet and ran towards his tent to get his weapons; but was followed by the murderer, who dealt him such severe wounds with his sabre, that poor Dalgleish fell before he was properly able to defend himself. In answer to Petrovskij's question, as to why Osman or any of the other men had not hastened to the assistance of their master, they said that the murderer had one or two friends with him, who like himself were fully armed, whereas the rest of the caravan was unarmed. After the deed was done Dod Muhamed said coolly to Osman, »I have killed that man and will answer for the consequences. You may continue your journey without fear. I shall remain here.» Thereupon the caravan had resumed its march, but two days afterwards it was overtaken by Dod Muhamed, who had seized the money of the murdered man, though he did not meddle with any of his other possessions. These were in part found by the agents whom Petrovskij sent out.

Dod Muhamed afterwards went from Jarkent to Kaschgar, where he stayed five days in the Afghan caravanserai with his fellow-countryman Nigbet Ullah Khan. When he no longer felt safe in the latter city, he fled one dark night to Aksu, being accompanied a part of the way by Dildar Khan, the aksakal of the Afghans. This man, who was still in Kaschgar when I first visited that city in 189o, procured the murderer a false pass, which enabled him to travel to Utsch-turfan and Irkeschtam, and so across the Russian frontier, whence he made his way to Masar-i-Scherif, where the Emir Abdurrahman was at that time residing.

Hed i n, Tourney in Central Asia. IV.   53