MAHOMED AMIN. 211 



Having completed my preparations for my 

 projected trip to Usturfan and the mountains 

 beyond, I was escorted part of the way by the 

 Aksakal and his followers. Mahomed Amin, 

 the old Peshawuri merchant, who had been so 

 civil to me on my previous visit to Aksu, turned 

 up just as we were starting, saying he intended 

 to see me as far as Usturfan. Expressing my 

 gratitude for his kind intentions, I begged him 

 to remember he was an old man, and that I 

 did not want him to risk the fatigue of two 

 long marches at that season ; for although when 

 the sun was out it was fairly warm, the nights 

 were still very cold. But nothing would induce 

 him to give up the plan. He said I was the 

 only Englishman he had met for a long time, 

 and he had such a love and respect for our 

 Government in India, that the least he could 

 do was to show me attention. 



Our road took us up the left bank of the 

 Aksu river, when we turned westward and 

 crossed the river, which was here broken up 

 into channels on a wide bed. As the snow on 

 the mountains had not yet begun to melt, the 

 fords were quite shallow, and all the ponies 

 got over without much difficulty. Selecting the 



