THE TAOTAI. 291
bringing the muddy fluid from the Kizil Su or Kashgar River. During my visit fever was prevalent.
In the course of my journeying it had been my habit, on arriving at any large town, to visit without delay the principal Chinese official ; but at Kashgar I considered it advisable to be in no hurry in paying my respects to the Taotai, whose attitude towards nie had been unfavourable. After having been a week in the
THE MARKET-PLACE, I{ASHG AI{.
town I went to the Yamen, and it was easy to see that though the Taotai held a highly important office, he was weak, grovelling before the Russian Consul-General, and desirous chiefly of avoiding trouble. I complained of treatment I had received within his district, and he assured me that, whatever other officials might do, he would assist me to the utmost. I told him my plans, and he appeared to think it suspicious that I wished to revisit
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