Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 192 (Color Image)

0192	Among the Celestials : vol.1

156 AMONG THE CELESTIALS. [CHAP. VII.

Altogether the eastern end of Turkestan bore

a depressing look. For every inhabited house

we saw we would pass at least two in ruins.

In passing through the villages scarcely an in-

habitant would be met with, and few were seen

working in the fields, and much land which

had formerly been cultivated was now lying

fallow. There seemed to be as many Chinese

as Turkis, but the Chinese were mostly Moham-

medans and in physique inferior to those of

China proper. Little traffic was met with

on the road as the summer is not considered

a favourable season for travelling. But occa-

sionally we passed a detachment of soldiers,

or a waggon, or strings of donkeys, the prin-

cipal pack animal of the country, carrying

country produce to market. Grapes are largely

grown in this part, dried to raisins, and taken

to Hami.

We pushed on rapidly, travelling indifferently

day or night, according to the length of the

stage, merely halting at the end of each a

sufficient length of time to rest the animals,

and then starting again, sometimes at eleven

o'clock at night, sometimes at four in the

morning, and sometimes at two in the after-

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