National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0356 |
Sand-Buried Ruins of Khotan : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
entailed far better than I had ventured to hope. He also bravely
held out against the pains inflicted by his old enemy, when at last in
the spring it seriously attacked him. Nor did my servants from
Kashgar and Yarkand, though better prepared for the rigours of
the desert winter, escape without suffering from the inevitable
exposure. One after the other in the course of this and the next
two months was attacked by painful swellings on the legs or arms,
resulting in large boils, which for the time being incapacitated the
victim from any useful service.
Old Turdi, whom many former 'treasure-seeking' expeditions
had inured to heat and cold alike and to all sorts of privations,
was not likely to come on the sick list. Yet the quaint pleasure
he took in showing me over what I used jokingly to call his own
village and temples, and the honest pride that lit up his wrinkled
face whenever I had occasion to appeal to his quasi-antiquarian
instinct and his experience of desert conditions, were soon overcast
by a cloud. Its real significance I failed to comprehend during
my first few days at these ruins. While I felt overjoyed by the
interesting discoveries which the first excavations had yielded, poor
Turdi Khwojam ('my pious Sir Turdi'), "the Aksakal of the
Taklamakan," as we soon got to call him, was contemplating with
sad apprehension the imminent failure of a commercial venture
quite serious for his modest resources. The spirit of speculation,
perhaps natural in a 'treasure-seeker,' had induced him to invest
the greatest part, if not the whole, of the advance of pay I had
given him before leaving Khotan in the purchase of an old pony.
The intention was that it should carry Turdi's provisions and
slender outfit to Dandan-Uiliq and should then be killed there
to provide meat for sale to my labourers.
Turdi would, no doubt, have reaped due benefit from this
ingenious combination of "transport and supplies" if the men I
brought from Tawakkel had not been mean enough to seize upon
the idea for their own advantage. They took along an old cow as
a joint-stock affair and duly slaughtered her near their camping-
ground soon after our arrival at the ruined site. Both these time-
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
12
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
22
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
32
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
42
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
52
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
62
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
72
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
82
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
92
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
102
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
112
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
122
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
132
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
142
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
152
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
162
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
172
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
182
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
192
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
202
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
212
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
222
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
232
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
242
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
252
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
262
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
272
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
282
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
292
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
302
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
312
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
322
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
332
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
342
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
352
.
354
355
356
357
358
.
.
.
362
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
372
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
382
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
392
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
402
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
412
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
422
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
432
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
442
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
452
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
462
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
472
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
482
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
492
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
502
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
512
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
522
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
532
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
542
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
552
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
563
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
573
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
582
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
