THE KIREI OF THE ALTAI 363 



of felt covered the floor, and many household belongings 

 stood around the sides — gaudily-coloured boxes, a bed, 

 quilts and cushions, saddlery and a falcon ; while the 

 right-hand side of the tent displayed a profusion of 

 cooking-pots, kettles, kummis-bags, and other signs of 

 a commissariat, such as would arouse the envy of any 

 Mongol housewife. No little Buddhist altar adorned 

 the head of the yurt, no lazy priest lounged on the seat 

 of honour, while, in place of poorly clad and disreputable- 

 looking inhabitants, we were delighted to see rosy- 

 cheeked children, and plump, healthy-looking women, 

 clad in becoming costumes of black and white. The 

 men, too, were of remarkably fine build as compared 

 with the Mongols. There was almost an appearance 

 of opulence in these Kirghiz encampments ; in com- 

 parison with the Mongols and Uriankhai, these Kirei 

 tribesmen might be described as "gentlemen-rovers," 

 rich in flocks and herds, well-housed, owning a fine 

 country, and with sufficient leisure at their disposal to 

 indulge in horse-racing and in falconry. 



The comparison between the low Mongol soldiery 

 who accompanied us and these lordly Kirei was in- 

 structive. All spoke of a higher standard of life, and a 

 superior moral code ; we realized at once the immense 

 social gap which lay between these two people. The 

 special type of our Mohammedan host was well preserved ; 

 he was obviously Mussulman, and through him we realized 

 the far-reaching influence of rehgion and the power it 

 possesses of engraving itself upon the character of a 

 people. Here is no decadent form of Islam, it is 

 one and the same faith as followed by the nomads 

 of Arabia or North Africa. The world-wide uniformity 

 of this belief has created an absolute unity of type. 



