64 JOURNEY TO THE PAMIRS. 



and then a mile of flat, which brought us to the 

 Tung river, which we forded, and as it was by 

 then quite dark, pitched our camp on a con- 

 venient place, and turned in, very much relieved 

 at having got across the great Zarafshan without 

 a mishap. 



Everything was in a mess and wet, so we took 

 it easily in the morning and started about eleven, 

 following the Tung river along a nice easy path 

 for eight miles, chiefly through cultivated fields 

 and orchards, to Tung, where we found Dau- 

 vergne encamped. Having put on our best 

 clothes, such as they were, we started off in a 

 body, servants and all, to call on the Hakim Beg. 

 It has often struck me that we travellers in the 

 East make a great mistake in not taking some- 

 thing better in the way of clothes for swell 

 occasions. We seem to have a special objection 

 to anything of the sort. Each trip I vow I will 

 do so, but at the last moment the garments are 

 put aside, and I go off with nothing better than 

 a shooting - suit. I had taken the trouble to 

 bring some uniform from England, fully intend- 

 ing to astonish the natives of Turkistan with my 

 magnificence, but at the last moment left it, 

 with that stupid English feeling, "Why should 



