Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 212 (Color Image)

0212	Among the Celestials : vol.1

174 AMONG THE CELESTIALS. [CHAP. vii.

and Rahmat-ula-Khan went in, said we were

travelling to Kashgar, and asked for accom-

modation for the night. In this way I found

myself quartered in a tent with four old ladies,

one of whom was a great-grandmother, and the

youngest a grandmother. But their hospitality

was equal to their age, and we took a mutual

interest in each other. The tent was similar in

construction to the yurts of the Mongols, but

these Kirghiz seemed much better off than any

of the Mongols I had met, or than the Kirghiz

we afterwards saw on the Pamirs. They were

well clothed in long loose robes of stout cotton

cloth—generally striped—of Russian manu-

facture. Round the tents were piles of clothes

and bedding for the winter good stout felts

and warm quilts ; and rows of boxes to contain

the household goods and treasures. A small

portion of the tent was always partitioned off,

and there were kept the supplies of milk,

cream, and curds, which form the staple food

of the Kirghiz. On the whole, the tents were

clean and comfortable, and by living en famille

with these Kirghiz, I got to see a great deal

more of their customs and habits than I other-

wise should have done.

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