Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 225 (Color Image)

0225	Among the Celestials : vol.1

.,;-,._ .. — ÿ,+ -+. . . . ~,. 7777'

tr • ' ~ir:; ~: +

. '°,W4j:

CHAP. vII.] A $ORN SOLDIER. 185

He struck me as a born soldier : strong-willed,

capable, and made to command. He and

many of the traders of the place Afghans,

Peshawuris, Badakhshis, and others—were with

me nearly the whole day long during my few

days' stay in Kashgar. Tea and fruit were

always ready, and they used to sit round and

talk. The Afghan's conversation was mostly

of fighting, and of rifles and revolvers. Every

kind of firearm he seemed to know, and to have

his own opinion about it as to its efficiency.

The Russian Berdan rifle he preferred to our

Martini, and he thought the Americans made

better revolvers than we did. At the time the

Chinese re-took Kashgar he was in the town,

and said there was practically no fighting.

Yakub Beg had died, or been poisoned,

away westward some weeks before, and he

being dead, there was no one to lead the

defence, and the people of the country were

absolutely apathetic. What soldiers there were,

when they heard the Chinese were close to the

town, hastily threw aside their uniforms or

disguises as soldiers, and, assuming the dress of

cultivators, walked about the fields in a lamb-

like and innocent manner. The Chinese en-

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