LIFE IN CENTRAL ASIA. 283 



themselves to most fabulous statements regarding 

 their master's ferocity, and skill in the use of arms 

 and medicine. It is very doubtful whether there is 

 such a miscreant in existence as they made us out to 

 be. As to firearms, we could do little more than hit 

 a barn-door w : ..Mn a reasonable distance, or rather a 

 hyena close to our tent, for there are no barns there ; 

 but they seemed to have lied themselves into the 

 notion that we could exterminate a whole tribe, and 

 then, like Hotspur, cry " fye upon this quiet life." 

 Such exaggeration, however, though absurd enough, 

 was of the greatest possible use, and often procured 

 us a dinner from men who refused either to sell or 

 exchange. For poetic invention, our glwraicallah, 

 or horse-fellow, was the king of the party ; and on 

 one occasion, with his aid alone, we actually terri- 

 fied a hostile encampment of about fifty persons into 

 giving us the breakfast which at first they refused 

 in no very respectful way. On another occasion a 

 small roving tribe commenced to plunder our camels, 

 and had broken open one box ; but as we rode slowly 

 up, in ignorance of what was going on, the same dis- 

 creet servant's account of us induced the depredators 

 to make off hastily, and so prevented a collision 

 which could not have been agreeable, and which 

 might have put an end to further progress. The 

 danger of such incidents as this last mentioned, con- 

 tributed, on the whole, rather to increase the tedium 

 than the excitement of the journey. Of course, it 



