LIFE IN THE GREAT DESERT OF CENTRAL ASIA 



757 



of starlings had increased, and the third 

 day the swarms of birds almost darkened 

 the sky when, in their frequent flittings, 

 a flock passed overhead. That day the 

 headman of the village asked us for con- 

 tributions to a fund for getting rid of the 

 grasshoppers. 



"These starlings," said he, "are the 

 children of a sacred spring among the 

 Persian mountains two days' journey to 

 the south of here. Wherever the water 

 is, there the birds gather. Allah, the 

 Merciful, has sent many birds to us, but 

 they are not enough. We must do some- 

 thing to get more of them. There is just 

 one way to do it. If we can get some of 

 the water and bring it here, the birds will 

 follow it. So today I am collecting 

 money. Tomorrow, by the grace of 

 Allah, I will send Verdi, the Mullah, our 

 most hoi}' man, to get the water. In his 

 hand he must carry a good present, for 

 the water is of no use unless it is taken 

 from the spring and blessed by the holy 

 sheikhs who guard it from pollution." 



Three days later the headman was ra- 

 diant. "See," said he, "how thick the 

 birds are," and truly they were circling 

 over the wheat fields in extraordinary 

 numbers. "Last night our messenger 

 reached the spring, and already the birds 

 have begun to come. Today he will stay 

 there ; then it will take him two days to 

 get back, bringing the vessel of water. 

 Wait till the fourth day from now, the 

 morning after he arrives, and see the 

 multitude of birds." 



On the third morning the headman 

 looked old and weary, and had scarcely 

 a word of greeting. The birds were 

 gone; not a solitary starling was to be 

 seen. In the night, silently, swiftly, as 

 they had come, so they went, flying north- 

 ward according to their wont, in response 

 to the changing seasons. No thought of 

 migrations came to the Turkomans. One 

 thing alone they knew — the birds had 

 gone, the grasshoppers remained, and the 

 crops were doomed to utter ruin. Per- 

 haps a little of the unripe grain could be 

 cut for fodder, but nothing could be 

 saved for food for themselves and their 

 children. 



Some one had blundered; perhaps 

 some impious deed had been committed ; 

 therefore Allah had refused the further 

 aid of his sacred birds. There was no 

 further talk of a joyful procession to 

 meet the Mullah far from the village and 

 bringing the jar of sacred water home in 

 triumph. The holy man stole into the 

 village dejected and unnoticed, while the 

 villagers thought only of their ruined 

 crops and their families, which would 

 soon be hungry. 



THE MARCH OF MILLIONS 



The days that followed were like a 

 nightmare. The insects were now full 

 grown, and on a day they all began to 

 move. Northeastward they went toward 

 the desert — slowly, very slowly, but stead- 

 ily, hopping, hopping, hopping, rarely 

 pausing, never turning to one side. A 

 low rattle filled the air like the steady 

 falling of fine sleet, and everywhere there 

 was a faint, sickening odor. It was im- 

 possible to walk without stepping on the 

 creatures. 



On the morning when the grasshop- 

 pers began to move the writer was at 

 work in a round native tent of felt, with 

 the top, perhaps 30 inches in diameter, 

 open to admit light and air. When the 

 grasshoppers reached the tent not one of 

 them turned aside. Straight up the wall 

 they crawled, and straight across the top 

 until they came to the opening. There 

 they paused a few minutes and then 

 jumped blindly. One after another they 

 landed on the table, which was neces- 

 sarily placed under the opening for light. 

 Tap, tap, tap, the}' fell at intervals of a 

 few seconds until it soon became impos- 

 sible to work. When they righted them- 

 selves after falling to the floor, they 

 always turned in the original direc- 

 tion, hopping across the floor, climbed 

 the wall and the inside of the roof of the 

 tent until they reached the opening at the 

 apex, and were able to continue their in- 

 terrupted journey. 



Near our tents flowed a brook about 

 three feet wide, which was used for irriga- 

 tion. When the grasshoppers reached it 

 they paused a moment, and then, urged 



