OF EASTERN TURKESTAN. 5D 
Pyramids, or India without its palms. We are seated on a 
carpet in the tent when a servant announces that the Yuzbashi 
wishes to offer a Dastarkhwan; permission being accorded, our 
entertainer appears, followed by a train of about twenty atten- 
dants, all carrying trays. The Yuzbashi is requested to be 
seated, and then the foremost attendant advances and spreads 
a gaudily colored silk or print cloth on the ground before us; 
and on this the tr ays are placed. The trays are passed on 
_ from servant to servant (after the manner of buckets of water 
at a fire) until the last one reaches the head attendant who is 
depositing the good things before us; then all the servants retire 
and we have a moment to glance at what has been brought. 
Loaves of fine bread, biscuits, melons, pistachio nuts, Trebizond 
dates, currants, sugarcandy, dried apricots, loaves of sugar, 
almonds, bonbons and sweatmeats of many sorts, a kind of white 
custard called nishalla,—but we must begin to eat some of these 
things. We break a loaf of bread (first saying Bism-illah—in 
the name of God) and inviting the Yuzbashi to Join, proceed to 
taste anything before us that we have a fancy to. Then tea is 
brought in and handed round, and ina few minutes we give a sien 
for the dastarkhwan to be removed ; the things being now carried 
away by our servants. Any stray crumb of bread is carefully 
replaced on the cloth, and as the table (?) cloth is being 
gathered up we bring our hands up to our faces and strok- 
ing our beards, say solemnly and inconcert, Allahu Akbar 
(God i is most great). The Yuzbashi retires hurriedly. 
21sé. —Cump Toghrasu ; elevation, 11,255 feet. —We started 
from Shahid-ullah about noon, and afte: cresting the low hill 
in front of our camp there, descended into the main Karakash 
Valley, following the course of the river to this place. Rather 
a cold afternoon; ; and just as we reached camp, it began 
to snow pretty smartly; sowe have now got our tents very 
wet. Saw several Hill Pigeons (Columba rupicola) on the 
way; and near the camp here one of our followers captured 
a Spotted Land-Rail (Porzana maruetia). 
22nd.—Kurgan Ali Nazar.—Soon after leaving last night’s 
camp we forded the Toghrasu, a small stream which came 
down from the left and entered the Karakash at right angles. 
Near Toghrasu one of the horses carrying a load slipped down 
a khud and was killed; another horse died during the night. 
Still following the Karakash River which we had to ford twice 
to-day; pretty deep at one place. Passed a small fort at the 
junction of the Kilian route with ours; a Yarkandi lives in 
the Fort,—to take care of the roads (!) one of my Yarkandi 
servants says. We meta Kafila, or merchant’s party, on the 
way to India; dne of them told me that they had started from 
