The heart of a continent : vol.1 / Page 23 (Color Image)

0023	The heart of a continent : vol.1

CHAPTER XII.

BY THE SKIRTS OF THE PAMIRS TO HUNZA.

PAGE
The Raskam River—Letters from Lieutenant Bower and Major Cumberland—
I dispose of my ponies—Captain Grombtchevsky—His equipment—The
Cossacks—Russian soldiers and their work—Inspection of my Gurkhas—
Gurkhas and Cossacks—A pleasant incident—Kurba Pass—Taghdumbash
Pamir—Ilisu—Kuch Mohammed Bey—I go to Tashkurgan—Major Cum-
berland and Lieutenant Bower—The Sarikolis—Fugitives from Shignan—
The Taghdumbash Pamir—To the Khunjerab Pass—Ovis poli—Curious
shining particles—A stalk—To the Mintaka Pass—Chinese official—Offended
dignity—Dismissing my Kirghiz—Their greediness—We cross the Mintaka
—Across the Indus watershed—An interesting valley—Misgah—A Hunza
Arbap—His greed—Gircha—Visit from the Prime Minister, Wazir Dadu—
Gulmit—A state reception—Safder Ali—I take a seat—A business interview
—Safder Ali and Alexander the Great—The right to raid—A heated dis-
cussion—Firing exercises—An undignified ruler—I leave Gulmit—The fate
of Safder Ali—Gilgit—Return to Kashmir—I take leave of my Gurkhas ... 266

CHAPTER XIII.

TO THE PAMIRS — 1890.

Previous travellers in the Pamirs—My companion, Mr. George Macartney—Leh
—Messrs. Beech and Lennard—We reach Yarkand—Unchanging character
of Central Asian cities—Arrival of Captain Grombtchevsky—A curious
dinner-party—We start for the Roof of the World—Tashkurgan—The
Neza-tash Pass—The Little Pamir—Characteristics of a Pamir—Vegetation
—Severity of the cold—The Kirghiz—Aktash—Across the Little Pamir—
The Istigh River—Alichur Pamir—Ak-chak-tash—Hot springs—Ovis poli
—Somatash—The inscribed stone at Bash Gumbaz—Scene of the conflict
between the Russians and Afghans in 1892—Routes to the Alichur Pamir
—The valley of the Aksu—Sarez—Murghabi—Russian outposts—The Ak-
baital—Rang-kul—The mysterious Lamp Rock—The mystery explained—
To the Kara-kul Lake—Kizil Jek Pass—Kara-art Pass—Down the
Markan-su to Opal—Arrival in Kashgar—Winter quarters—Chinese gongs
—M. Petrovsky ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 291

CHAPTER XIV.

A WINTER IN KASHGAR.

Official visits—The Chinese Taotai and general—A Chinese opinion of European
civilization—General Wang—The barracks—Discipline and occupations of
the soldiers—Rifle practice—Cosmopolitan Kashgar—Central Asian traders
—Opinions of the Afghan Amir of British and Russian rule—Impressions
of Russian power—Effects of our retirement from Afghanistan in 1881—
M. Petrovsky—His views about England—About treatment of natives in
India—About the Crimea—Russian carelessness about learning languages
—M. Blanc—Dr. Sveyn Hedin—M. Dutreuil de Rhins—Subsequently

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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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

Citation Information

OCR Text

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