BILL Y ARK AND. 97 
of the Kirghiz and Wakis. The latter speak Persian, 
and are a race of Aryan descent, who came originally 
from Wakan, but are now settled on the slopes to the 
west of the Sdnju pass. They are very different in 
almost every respect from the Kirghiz ; and all along 
they showed such an unfriendly disposition, that it 
was evident, if any difficulty should arise regarding 
our return, the Wakis would not be pleasant cus- 
tomers to deal with, and we should have to put our- 
selves in the hands of the friendly, good-humoured 
Kirghiz. During a day's halt at Balakchi I obtained 
several hares, which the Kirghiz called toksdn, and 
a number of newly-fledged partridges, but saw none 
of the adult birds. The Hoopoe, which we had last 
seen at Lak Zung, was also noticed. The buckthorn 
{Hippophae) and a Barberry re-appeared. I succeeded 
in taking some photographs of the Kirghiz, but the 
Wakis would not submit to be photographed. 
On the 6th August we left Balakchi as guests of 
the Atalik Ghazi, and continued our march for 
twenty miles along the Karakash, which now changes 
its course and flows in a northerly direction. The 
Yarkandis, like all Orientals, consider it " infra dig!' to 
walk, and I was obliged to give up botanizing at first 
and join the cavalcade. Several times I managed, with- 
out attracting notice, to lag behind and go off* the road ; 
but as soon as my absence was remarked, some of the 
Turki soldiers were sent after me, and very politely 
gave me to understand that they had orders not to 
lose sight of me. It seemed as if they suspected me 
of being a surveyor in disguise, and that my ostensible 
occupation of medical officer to the expedition was 
merely a blind. 
H 
