96 
NARRATIVE. 
expect to meet traders on their way from Yarkand to 
Le; but it was impossible to halt for farther information, 
entirely dependent as we were on the Yarkandis for 
our daily supplies, which were very limited, and we 
were still seven days' march from Sanju, the nearest 
point where fresh supplies could be got. 
We obtained through Mirza Shadi provisions for 
our Ladak porters, who were all paid off here, and 
returned to their homes, except half a dozen of them 
who were to go on to Yarkand. These six, however, 
requested permission to return also, as they had 
heard that smallpox, of which they have a great 
dread, was prevalent in Yarkand, and it appeared 
that none of them had been vaccinated ; but as their 
services could not be spared, they asked leave to go 
back twenty miles to exhume the body of one of 
their countrymen who had died a year or two before, 
as they wished to be vaccinated from the dead body ! 
Dr. Cayley left us here to return by a new route. 
Now that we approached Yarkand, Mirza Shadi gave 
up smoking cigars, as it is not considered in Yarkand 
the correct thing to smoke : most of the Yarkandis 
smoke on the sly, however. The Mirza, therefore, 
took to snuffing, which is almost universal amongst 
his countrymen. The snuff is carried in bottles, 
which are usually made of jade, and a pinch of snuff, 
instead of being taken up the nostrils, is put on the 
tongue. The Kazi Sahib still continued to indulge 
in cigars, and expressed great regret that such 
strict notions regarding religious observance should 
prevail in Yarkand. He said that the freedom in 
Constantinople was charming. 
Our baggage was now to be carried by the yaks 
