40 
THROUGH ASIA 
bank of the Or. It stands therefore on Asiatic ground, 
and is entered by a narrow wooden bridg-e thrown across 
the majestic stream of the river Ural. The houses cluster 
round an isolated and commanding hill, crowned by a 
clock-tower, from which a watch is kept at night in case 
of fire. The view is very extensive. Low mountains are 
visible in the vicinity, d'he country is only flat towards 
the south-west, where runs the road towards Tashkend. 
The sobor (governor’s house), institutions and schools, post, 
telegraph, and bazaars are situated between the river Ural 
and the hill ; there too the merchants and burghers have 
their houses. On the south side of the hill dwell the 
poorer classes, the peasantry, Tatars, and Kirghiz. 
It was intended to erect the chief church of the town on 
the top of the hill, and the foundations are even partially 
laid ; but the necessary funds were not forthcoming, and 
the work was discontinued. The church would have been 
visible for many a mile in both Europe and Asia. 
During the spring the Ural rises to a great height, and 
sometimes inundates the lower parts of Orsk, as well as 
forms vast lakes in the vicinity. The inhabitants then 
climb their hill to admire the transformation of the steppe 
into a sea. When the ice begins to melt in the spring, it 
destroys the bridge, which is simply built on poles, so that 
it has to be rebuilt every year. At such times the post is 
carried across the river in boats. 
Between the river Ural, the Caspian Sea, Lake Aral, the 
Syr-daria, and the Irtysh stretches the vast level plain of 
the Kirghiz steppe. Thinly inhabited by Kirghiz nomads, 
the steppe is also the home of a few species of animals, 
such as wolves, foxes, antelopes, hares, etc., and there too 
certain prickly steppe plants struggle against the inclement 
conditions of the region. Where there is sufficient 
moisture, kamish or reeds grow in great quantities ; and 
even the driest sandy wastes are diversified by the tufted 
bushes of the saksaul (Anabasis Ammodendroti), often 
attaining six or seven feet in height. The roots, which are 
excessively hard, provide the chief fuel of the Kirghiz, and 
are collected during the autumn for winter use. At nearly 
