120 
NARRATIVE. 
All the way from Kargallik to Yarkand there 
were tall wooden mile-posts along the roads, at in- 
tervals of about five miles — or rather, of one hour's 
journey — apart. On a board at the top of each post, 
or "farsang," as it is called, the distances are very 
legibly written in Turki. The roads in Yarkand are 
about thirty feet wide, and are usually deeply worn, 
so as to be from three to eight feet below the level 
of the surrounding country ; and, except where they 
cross the canals, no labour seems to be expended in 
keeping them in repair. As a rule, they were good, 
except where they had been accidentally flooded 
by leakage from a canal. In a few places I saw marks 
of wheeled conveyances, called "arabas," having passed 
over the road. 
The English lapwing was common in all the 
marshy ground ; it is called machung in Turki. 
The evening of our arrival at Posgam a mes- 
senger from the Governor of Yarkand arrived with a 
letter for Mr. Forsyth, and a complete suit of Yar- 
kandi costume for each of us. We were told that it 
was necessary to give this messenger a present, in 
token of being pleased ; and as our own things had 
not come up, Mirza Shadi at once divested himself of 
a new robe he had on, and this was presented to the 
messenger, being put over his shoulders when he 
departed. Whenever a dress is thus presented, every 
one congratulates the person who has received it, 
by saying " Mubarik he replies "Kulluk.'' I have 
said that we obtained complete outfits, but this is 
not quite correct ; for, strange to say, the turban was 
always omitted. This was rather a noteworthy fact, 
for only true believers are allowed to wear turbans in 
