My Horses Stolen. 



the stampeding of the horses. The animals, however, needed 

 grazing, and, despite all precautions', were stampeded and stolen 

 during the night. 



Manas Bai, the man who had accompanied me from Little 

 Jirgalan, was then despatched with Rahim in one direction to 

 round up the robbers, whilst I endeavoured to head them off 

 from the south, as I thought they might move in that direction, 

 since fewer auls were to be met with and consequently less like- 

 lihood of their being noticed. Manas Bai, with Rahim and 

 another man, overtook them four miles away and succeeded in 

 getting the horses back, mainly I think through the assistance of 

 other Kazaks in the neighbourhood who feared reprisals on the 

 part of the Chinese, since they knew the latter would certainly visit 

 with severe punishment any outrages on Europeans. As Celestial 

 justice is indiscriminate there was every possibility of vengeance 

 being wreaked on the wrong party, hence the timel}' recovery of 

 my caravan. The thieves, however, captured the unfortunate 

 man with Manas Bai and Rahim and beat him severely. When 

 he came into camp next day covered with bruises, I had the 

 headman of the district summoned, informing him I should 

 report the affair to the Chinese Viceroy at Kulja, which I after- 

 wards did, with good results. This delayed me considerably, 

 and though it was now plain sailing down into Kok Su. I did not 

 reach there until past noon. 



The Kok Su River was in full flood and we were fortunate 

 in not having to ford it, but crossed by a rough native bridge. 

 Without this we could never have got over the torrent, as the 

 current is tremendously strong, the river bed being also full of 

 rocks and boulders. Once over I moved west into the Tekkes 

 Valley. There were a number of Kazak and Kirghiz auls along 

 the valley, and I camped that night near a group at the junction 

 of the Kok Terek and Tekkes River, a camp I shall ever look 

 back upon with feelings of the liveliest satisfaction, for after well 

 over a thousand miles of hard trekking from the Pamirs I liad 

 reached the promised land. 



