ARRIVAL IN Y ARK AND, ETC. 
123 
gorgeous robe of green satin trimmed with, gold lace, 
which, according to custom, he wore during the rest of 
the day. Our road lay at first over a low swampy 
country, and afterwards through lanes lined on either 
side with shady trees, and amidst rich pasturage or 
well-cultivated fields, for about six miles. At last we 
saw in the distance a low battlemented mud wall — 
the walls of the city of Yarkand, which for three 
months we had been looking forward to. As we 
neared the city we were met by crowds of the Yar- 
kandis, who stood three or four deep along the roads. 
They evidently did not know which of us were the Euro- 
peans, all of us being dressed in Oriental costume. 
We could not avoid remarking that a number of the 
Yarkandi faces were precisely like those of English- 
men, being for the most part quite as fair, and many 
of them having rosy cheeks. No females were ob- 
served; and I was afterwards told that the rule 
against females appearing in public is more strictly 
observed in Yarkand than in most Mahomedan 
countries. 
The city wall is about thirty feet high, and is built 
entirely of sun-dried bricks, and outside the wall there 
is a ditch. We entered by one of the gates, and 
found a guard drawn up inside, composed of villagers, 
or the peaceful inhabitants of the city, shopkeepers 
and others, who formed the Yarkand reserve force, 
and were now called out to do military duty in the 
absence of the regular troops at the seat of war. They 
were armed in the most primitive way, with clubs, 
ancient-looking spears, battle-axes, &c. One man had a 
very extraordinary looking weapon, namely, a jointed 
stick somewhat like a flail, the farther extremity of 
