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

one wishes to free himself from an accusation, he appeals to the accuser to produce his gun,
and kissing the muzzle places it against his left nipple and bids him fire. This throws the
responsibility upon the accuser, who on this proof of innocence retracts his calumny. All
the people here are brave huntsmen, but they have a great respect for human life, and are
very much afraid of death.

"They are a very hardy and healthy people, and have no diseases except a kind of ague
called bazgak. They have a great horror of small-pox, which they call yamán='the evil.' If
the disease should appear amongst them, the whole community immediately abandon the
locality and leave the afflicted with only one attendant and a supply of food. If the patient
recovers, he is not admitted to society till the expiry of forty days. When the Amír conquered
the country he summoned the Chief of Lob to Káshghar; the old man had never seen the
disease and got it there; and he was so frightened that he set out to return home, but died on
the road; and when his attendants returned with the intelligence the people all ran away from
them till the forty days were passed. Snake bites are very common, and the people have an
efficient remedy for it: they catch a frog, rip open its belly, and tie it over the wound; this
affords immediate relief. Another remedy is a sort of gum or fungus found at the stumps
and on the boughs of the toghrác or "poplar" tree; there are two kinds called cará and ác or
"black" and "white" toghrágho respectively; the black is the kind used; it is powdered and
mixed into a paste with water or spittle and so applied to the wound; it affords immediate
relief. There is one kind of snake called dár; its bite is immediately fatal; nothing
cures it. People say that if the Mullá repeats the Kalima and breathes dam upon the wound,
a cure is certain. God only knows; but in Lob he never arrives till the snake-bitten is dead.

"The wild animals of Lob are the wild camel=yáwa thuga."——"Yes. I have seen the
animal myself."——"No, I never killed one myself. I have seen one which was killed by
huntsmen of the camp to which I belonged. It is a small animal, not much bigger than a
horse, and has two humps. It is not like a tame camel; its limbs are very thin, and it is
altogether slim built. I have seen them on the desert together with herds of wild horses.
They are not timid, and don't run away at the sight of a man. They do nothing unless
attacked; they then run away, or else they turn and attack the huntsman; they are very fierce,
and swift in their action as an arrow shot from the bow; they kill by biting and trampling
under foot, and they kick too like a cow. They are hunted for the sake of their wool, which
is very highly prized, and is sold to Turfán merchants.

"Another animal is the wild horse=cúlán. It is the size of a pony, has high withers
and a narrow barrel. It is only hunted for sport. Another is the stag=búghú. It is hunted
for its sutters, which are taken to Turfán for the Bajin market. There are besides, the tiger=
bar, the wolf=chona, the panther=molún, the lynx=súlesún, the fox=aratu, and the otter=
súyup. All these are hunted for their furs, as are the swan=codáy, and the pelican=
caráchllán."——"Yes. This is a swan's skin (shewing one bought at Káshghar), and comes
from Lob. It is the only place in this country where the bird is found. There are immense
numbers of wild fowl of all sorts on the lakes, and they breed there.

"The customs of the people of Lob are much the same as those of the Kirghiz, but
there is one which is met nowhere else. During the spring and summer seasons the young
people are in the habit of racing along the river. A party of six or eight maids forms up on
the river, each in her own skiff; and a party of as many youths forms up on the bank, each
on his own horse. At an agreed signal they all start off to an appointed goal, the maids
paddling down the stream, and the youths galloping along the bank. If the maids win, they
select a partner for the night from amongst the youths, each in the order of her arrival at
the winning post; similarly if the youths win, they chose their companion in turn from
amongst the maids. The contract only lasts for that night, and the couplings vary with the
chances of each successive race, though often the same partners meet. If a girl becomes
pregnant, she points out the author, and he marries her.

"There are innumerable camp and pasture grounds in Lob, but the principal permanent
camps are Ara Mahalla, Lyso, Karákochún, Jarálik, Sálih-Akhún, Kalmák Üldí, Khitáy Keldí,
and Khatt Koydí. This last is towards the south-east, and is the limit of Khitáy territory