JOURNEY FROM HERAT TO ORENBURG. 219 



brought down a torrent of ridicule from the old con- 

 spirator, according to whom Turkomans are mere 

 savages, who dip a bit of bread into a melted sheep's 

 tail, and pronounce a long and solemn grace over this 

 meal. The old Turkoman was very wroth, and as 

 the dispute appeared to get too warm, I came to the 

 Tartar's rescue, saying that the best soldiers were 

 those who cared least for their food and comforts ; 

 and that as for the Afghans, they required one niule 

 for their turban and another for their nether gar- 

 ments. Old Brutus is a surprising old gentleman 

 for work ; when every one of the party but he and 

 the Wolf wished to stop, he persisted in pushing on, 

 and I could only get a little rest by throwing myself 

 off my horse and calling for my servants. The cause 

 of all this haste is to get out of the country of the 

 Jumsheedees Demauks, who are said to be notorious 

 and expert thieves. This place is on the banks of 

 the Kooskh river. Plenty of grass. 



May 18th. Yesterday evening I made the ac- 

 quaintance of a patriarch amongst the Jumsheedees, 

 a very pleasing old gentleman of mild and winning 

 manner. He took us to his Tchail near the road, and 

 gave us butter-milk, and sent his son to show us the 

 road. His kliail was a large one ; the khurgahs, of 

 which there were about twenty, were arranged in 

 lines, and the calves and lambs inside the square. 

 The females seemed very busy at their domestic 

 arrangements, and the children fat and happy. My 



