and a bit of white or cream coloured tissue, edged with a coloured fringe at the bottom, tied round the forehead under the coloured cap. This veil is usually worn folded over the cap and is lowered to shield the wearer from the gaze of the curious. The headgear is pointed and has a narrow leather brim at the bottom. In shape and colour it is reminiscent of a Russian boyar cap. The beautifully coloured dress is not so loud as the dress of the men in Bukhara. A long mantle of transparent lace or muslin-like material reaching to the feet is often worn over the dress. One is struck by the dissimilarity in the Sart types in Russian Turkestan and here in Kashgaria. A regular Jewish appearance indicates that Iranian influence predominated here more than in Russian Turkestan.
We rode through the inviting green oasis on soft, dusty roads between dust-smothered trees that gave but little shade. The oasis is cultivated and densely populated. The road runs through small fields between low mud houses surrounded by walls. South of the road the stony desert still extends for a great distance in a narrowing strip as though struggling for power against the fertile oasis. — The sun was scorching. More and more frequently we demanded impatiently of the Sarts whom we met, how far it was to this Kashgar that seemed so near and yet so far. One man said a mile, another thought it was 6 miles.
The houses were close together, the dust and traffic on the road increased, but still no town was visible. The sun burnt me, my head felt heavier than usual and I had an almost irresistible inclination to lie down under a tree and give up riding any further. In vain I tried to refresh myself with a few succulent peaches. My mouth was parched and my tongue stuck to my throat and gums. Evidently I had got a slight sunstroke.
We were inside the town and passed the wall of a high fortress. I was thinking, in despair, that the Russian Consulate was probably in the Chinese town 8 miles off, when suddenly some comfortable houses with green iron roofs indicated the presence of Euro-
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