Identifier: orientalwesterns00atki (find matches)
Title: Oriental and western Siberia: a narrative of seven years' explorations and adventures in Siberia, Mongolia the Kirghis steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of Central Asia
Year: 1858 (1850s)
Authors: Atkinson, Thomas Witlam, 1799-1861
Subjects: Kyrgyz
Publisher: London : Hurst and Blackett
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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Text Appearing Before Image:
I could see no means of
escape from this place ; still he rode on, followed by our
little party, and after going about two versts, turned past
some high rocks and found ourselves at the mouth of a
very rugged ravine.
Our guide dismounted, and we all followed his example,
when he took the reins of my bridle and began to ascend,
leading the two horses after him; I pushed on in front,
and soon discovered that the path was not easy for a biped,
much less for a quadruped. None but Kirghis horses
would have faced this broken and rugged track, and no
horse could have descended. We mounted slowly, and at
last reached the top without accident. I was much afraid
some of the horses might slip and break their legs between
the rocks. We let them breathe about ten minutes and
then sprang into our saddles, and away we went over a
thick mossy grass, growing on the mountain slope. In
less than half-an-hour we came upon our track of the
morning; then, for about three versts, we had to descend
over loose stones, and this rendered our progress slow.
Night was coming on fast when we reached the Steppe ;
but liere we had good ground to ride over, and our horses
Text Appearing After Image:

NIGHT ATTACK ON THE AOUL OF MAHOMED.

INFERNAL LIQUOR. 297

were not spared, to the great joy of one of our Kirghis,
who flourished his whip, and shouted with delight, as we
bounded over the plain.
It was quite dark before we reached the aoul, where
camels, horses, and all the stock, were at home resting.
When the rum-bottle was brought out I could see the
twinkle in the old man's eye. Again I handed him some
in the cup, which I felt sure would be rejected—I was
right—it passed to less scrupulous lips; but the moment
the sons and other Kirghis left the yourf, he made signs
to me for his portion. The first cup was not enough;
it was drunk, and immediately held out for a second.
Fancying this might lead to mischief, I took a piece of
stearine candle out of my box, lighted it, and put it
beside me. I then poured a small quantity of rum into
the cup, leaving it standing on my tea-box, which I had
placed before him. He looked into the cup and was greatly
dissatisfied with the quantity, asking for more; I poured a
little into a tea-spoon, and

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