136 Russian Mission from Orenbourg to Bolchara. [July 



Bokhara, a country belonging to a warlike and uncivilized nation. 

 Before our arrival at Orenbourg, some Bokharian merchants had said 

 in conn >ence to their friends—" Perhaps none of the Christian travel- 

 " lers will return to their own country. E ven supposing the Khan of 

 u Khiva allows them to pass, our own Khan would not commit that 

 " folly. Why should we allow the Christians to become acquainted 

 f< with our country V 



Chapter II. 



Appearance of the desert — Kirghiz Encampments — Junction of the Mis° 

 sion with Sultan Haroun-ghazi — Hunting of the Antelope. 



The distance to be traversed is divided into three parts ; — the first in- 

 cludes a space between Orenbourg and the mountains of Moughodjar^ 

 which we passed between the streams of Cara-akenti, and Touban, 

 about 434 verstes from Orenbourg ; the second, the space between 

 these mountains and the Sir-deria; lastly, the third, between the Sir- 

 deria and Bokhara. 



The ground through the whole extent of the first portion is nearly the 

 same. You see generally an undulating surface, divided by chains of 

 hills, of which the slopes are so gentle as frequently to extend to fifteen 

 and twenty verstes. The absence of wood, and the trifling elevations of 

 these eminences, always offer an extensive prospect, when the eye in 

 vain seeks an object to fix itself on. Sterility, uniformity, and silence, are 

 the characters of a steppe. Towards the end of May, the sun had burnt 

 up the vegetation, and the ground assumed a brownish yellow colour. 



Through all this extent, trees are only found in two places; every 

 where else, a few thorny bushes, about three feet high, are so thinly 

 scattered, that to the eyes of an European they scarcely break the mono- 

 tony of these vast deserts. 



A considerable number of streams cross the route, presenting almost 

 always the same appearance, and generally follow the same direction. 

 From the Oural to the Sir, they are fordable, and are nearly dry in sum- 

 mer and autumn. The Ilek, Emba, Temir, Or and Irghiz, merit how- 

 ever the name of rivers, and are never dry, though sometimes very 

 shallow. Many of these streams only leave ravines to mark their course 

 in the dry weather; others form a chain of pondsy, frequently several 



