continue his journey during the night the orders were that he should be •arrested by the guards of the first village be entered. Every village and town was commanded to mount a small guard at dusk and to furnish patrols, whose duty was to rap at the doors and shout, " What ho ! the patrol is here ! " Old offenders caught stealing might be killed, and new ones also, if they stole over the value of fifty Congas. That part of the order
A GROUP OF BEGGARS.
which authorised the summary infliction of death was not taken seriously, as obedience to it would have involved the risk of a trial for murder.
In Yarkand as well as in Karghalik and Khotan pauperism was very conspicuous. In one of the dirtiest parts of Yarkand there was a collection of hovels provided by a paternal government for the poor. When I
went to see this abode of misery it contained about one
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