268 THE KARAKUL PAMIR AND HOME. 



cipitous sides of the glen, with a fall of 1000 feet 

 into the river below. Of course in the worst 

 places there was always a caravan, and then 

 would ensue a terrible jumble, for the great awk- 

 ward camels are very difficult to steer in a narrow 

 place ; and as these caravans came at intervals of 

 half a mile all day long, my progress, had I halted 

 for each, would have been far from rapid. Getting 

 rather desperate, I conceived the plan of keeping 

 a man ahead as advance-guard, and he stopped 

 the camels in convenient places where we could 

 pass. Their drivers were uncommonly civil, and 

 never refused to wait. 



When we came to a flat piece of ground we 

 were glad to pitch the tents, for it had been a 

 tiring march for man and beast. There was a 

 little dry wood about for kitchen purposes, but 

 no grass. The hungry sheep and goats of the 

 Kirghiz had eaten every blade as they passed by. 



The next day was a repetition of what we had 

 already gone through Kirghiz sheep and goats 

 everywhere ; but by evening we came in sight of 

 a mud house on a grass flat, which was the karaol. 

 Near it were a few hamlets and some fields of 

 Indian corn and lucerne, the first signs of civilisa- 

 tion. There were two customs -officers, one of 



