1853.] Travels in Central Asia. 295 



the Therba had a larger one. Kills a large eagle, said to be migrating — 

 dark brown with triangular spots of grey and white ; legs clothed to 

 the toes ; tail black tipped. Eeach Ausgess, a small fortress near the 

 ruins of a considerable one ; only inhabited by Akaas ; fed with butter 

 by the chief. 



Met three Moghul merchants, who join their party ; intend stop- 

 ping at Oossoobuk for a caravan. 



31^. — Proceed E. and N E. ; reach Oorcombuk, a large well built 

 fort on brink of a precipice to E., at E. end of the Oostum pass, 

 twenty days S. W. of Cashgar ; joined by seven more Yarkund mer- 

 chants — the caravan had preceded them. 



The Akaas are short, stout and hardy, but few Mahommedans, 

 except the tribe Oojuem near Andijan — women not handsome — dress, 

 skins. The Keiaz tribe live in caves on the highest peaks ; sub- 

 sist by hunting ; keep no flocks ; said to be anthropophagous ; but 

 have handsome women ; eat their flesh raw. 



The Keiaz marriage rites are simple, the lover lays his bow at the 

 feet of the lady ; if she lifts it up, kisses and returns it, she is his 

 wedded wife. By taking the husband's bow and flinging it on the 

 ground before him, she might divorce herself, and she might secure 

 a husband by unslinging his bow from his shoulder. The husbands 

 have the power of selling their wives. They peculiarly venerate 

 Hindu wanderers, giving up wives and daughters to them ; if any 

 progeny result, it is considered as a Demigod. 



Two days N. W. of Oorcombuk is a sacred spot of perpetual fire 

 issuing from a rock. The Aktagh Range, as shown in the Oostum 

 pass, consists of gneiss, mica, slate, clay-slates and limestone, with 

 some exception of traps and basalts ; specimen of mica half yard 

 square. Gold plentiful in the streams, both washed from the sand, 

 and caught in sheep's fleeces. 



Sept. 1st. — Leave Oorcombuk for Yarkund, with musuTcs, i. e. 

 water-bags, tied to horse's belly ; E. S. E. to Doonchoo three days. 

 Little water and a few ruins for the first few miles ; enter desert, 

 bivouak in a dry ravine. 



2nd. — Some pools in a deep spongy ravine, brackish ; numerous 

 flocks of antelope and some wild yaks called Ausuh by the Akaas ; 

 three different species thereof. 



2 p 2 



