IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The heart of a continent : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
1889.] DISMISSING MY KIRGHIZ. 279
by Hunza, and was merely crossing the Tagh-dum-bash Pamir
on my way there. I told them that China and England were friendly with each other, and that, though I had not now a
passport, as I had not been aware that I should have to cross
a portion of Chinese territory, I had travelled, two years ago, from Peking, the capital of China, with a passport from
the Emperor, right through to Yarkand and Kashgar. The Kashgari officials, on hearing this, said they were perfectly satisfied ; that the Chinese and English were always friends ; but that they should like me to put down what I had said in writing, that they might show it to the Taotai at Kashgar.
This I readily consented to do, and, after more tea-drinking and polite speeches, we parted in a very friendly manner, and soon after the Kirghiz came in to say that the Kashgari officials had given orders that I was to be given every assistance.
This would be my last day amongst the Kirghiz, and it was necessary, therefore, to pay them up, and give them
presents for the service they rendered me. I accordingly
paid them very liberally for the hire of camels, yaks, etc., and also gave each of the three headmen some presents. They,
however, had heard exaggerated reports of the presents which
I had given to the Shahidula Kirghiz, and expected to receive more than I had given them, and one of them, Junia Bai,
was impertinent enough afterwards to send back my present,
saying it was insufficient. I immediately sent my interpreter with a sheep, which Juma Bai had given me on the previous day, and with my presents which he had returned, back to
the Kirghiz, and told him to throw away the tea and cloth, etc., which I had given him, before his eyes, to turn the sheep loose in the valley, and to express my extreme displeasure at being insulted in the way I had been.
Juma Bai happened to be living with the two Kashgaris, and when they saw all this occur, the Kashgaris turned on him and abused him roundly for insulting a guest like this, and
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