JOUENEY FROM HERAT TO ORENBURG. 229 



my own quarters loaded, and started ; heat very 

 great ; total distance, twelve miles. The regular road 

 crosses the river Murghab close to the town, but the 

 boat is injured, and we have followed the river in 

 hope of finding a ford. I am the guest of a jolly- 

 looking Turkoman, whose Jchail is very extensive. 

 My host speaks nothing but Turkee, and I know 

 nothing of that language ; but I fancy we both feel 

 alike, for he brought me a bowl of butter-milk directly 

 I arrived, and this was exactly what I wanted. We 

 have left the Salor Turkomans, and fallen amongst 

 the Sariks ; the former are said to have 10,000, the 

 latter 15,000 families. They appear very similar, 

 except that the women here all wear red head-dresses 

 of a curious shape. Brutus is much scandalised at 

 their wearing no veils. I have seen one or two 

 tolerable beauties amongst them ; their morals are 

 not spoken highly of, but they appear to me to be 

 quiet, careful housewives. There are several Jews 

 at Merv, and, to my surprise, I found one located 

 here, who astonished me by offering me 100 ducats 

 for a bill on Herat. True to his caste, he asked ex- 

 orbitant interest. He is now busy getting the fair 

 sex of this JcJiail to make up covers for my horses' 

 ears and bellies, a precaution necessary, owing to 

 the number of venomous flies on the road we are 

 taking. There are two roads from Merv to Khiva, 

 or, as it is more generally called here, Corgunj. One 

 is called the Rah-i-tukht, the other the Eah-i-chush- 



