THE INFLUENCE OF THE HIGH PLATEAUS 115
outer garment, and were dressed in loose gowns of white cotton, or, in the case of the rich, of gorgeous silk, red, purple, and yellow. The sleeves of the garments of both sexes extended five or six inches below the hands, and took the place of gloves as a protection against cold, especially in riding horseback. The headdresses of the women, often a foot high, were wonderfully constructed of fold after fold of white cloth wound into a cylinder. One fold hung over the ears and under the chin in such a way that it could be drawn up over the lower part of the face, although this was rarely done. From below the huge headdress the black hair hung in silver-studded braids, pieced out with cords or strings of leather. At the ends of the braids, one or two silver roubles and the keys of all the family chests dangled close to the women's heels.
When one of the kibitkas had been tied up ready for packing, a tiny girl of six led up a camel ten feet high, and in spite of the creature's horrible grunts and roars, made it kneel meekly by twitching the rope fastened to a stick in its nose. The largest, finest camel was adorned with a long red fringe, which hung over the saddle and over the animal's long, curved neck to its head. When two men had tied a load of pots, pans, boxes, felts, and parts of a kibitka securely to the camel, I saw a silk-gowned mother lay her baby in a wooden cradle without rockers. After covering it well, she tied one rope over its legs and around the cradle, and a second over its chest. Then, in spite of its lusty crying, she lifted the cradle unconcernedly to the top of the load of the kneeling camel, lashed it on, and covered both baby and load with a large rug. She did not mean to neglect her
IIIFカラー高解像度
