128 NARRATIVE. 
compliments. It is not considered polite amongst 
Orientals to talk of business at a first visit. After a 
long conversation, drinking several cups of tea, and 
doing justice to a dastarkhan which required sixteen 
pages to carry it, silk robes were put over our 
shoulders, and we returned to our quarters. 
During the interview Mr. Forsyth expressed a wish 
to visit the city and surrounding country, and was 
told that he might do so ; and as soon as we reached 
home we dressed in riding costume and were about to 
remount our horses, when Mirza Shadi arrived, and 
expressed surprise at our going out, as he said the 
bazars were not prepared for our inspection. He 
evidently did not wish or expect us to go out at all, 
but as it had been expressly stipulated at Le that we 
should be free whilst in Yarkand to go out when and 
where we pleased, and not be confined as Messrs. 
Shaw and Hayward had been, Mr. Forsyth decided 
on going for a ride across the country. The question 
of our freedom to go where we pleased was a very 
important one, and, having arisen, it was necessary 
to actually insist on our liberty. Had we yielded 
to excuses now, to put ofi* going out for one day, next 
day they would have found much stronger reasons 
for our not moving about freely. 
We rode along the Kashgar road for a few miles to 
the west of the city, through a richly cultivated country, 
which had the appearance of being well- wooded, al- 
though trees are chiefiy confined to the borders of fields 
and roadsides. We noticed evidences of considerable 
engineering skill in the bridges which cross the 
numerous canals. The people we met were remark- 
ably polite. As we rode along the fort we could see 
