ACROSS THE KIRGHIZ STEPPES 47 
increased in importance, and the larger caravans began 
to make it a halting-place. Fewer caravans visit it now; 
still there were some lying outside the village. The reason 
why we never met with them on the posting-road w^as that 
they take shorter and quicker routes. The traffic w'ith 
the Kirghiz flourishes more particularly at Troitsk and 
Uralsk, for it is in the neighbourhood of those towns 
that the richest nomad auls exist. 
Off we went again with our four-in-hand. The sun 
set about five o’clock ; and as he lingered for a moment, 
like a fiery cannon-ball, on the distant horizon, a subdued 
purple radiance was diffused across the steppe. At that 
hour the light produced very extraordinary effects. Having 
nothing with which to make comparisons, you are liable 
to fall into the strange.st blunders with regard to size 
and distance. A couple of inoffensive crows hobnobbing 
together a short distance from the road appeared as large 
as camels, and a tuft of steppe grass, not more than a 
foot in height, looked as big as a vigorous tree. After 
the sun disappeared, the purple tints changed to violet 
and light blue ; and in a few minutes these gave place 
to still darker shades, which finally merged into the dark- 
ness of the night. The night, however, did not get very 
black ; for the air was pure and clear, the stars shone 
out like electric lamps, and the moon poured her silver 
alamour over the scene. 
At Ak-sai at i a.m. on November 21st I noted the 
lowest temperature -3°i Fahr. (- I9°5 C.) we had during 
the journey. The countless facets of the hoar frost shim- 
mered in the moonlight, and the windows of the station- 
house were transfigured with the lace-like trees and flowers 
of frost. 
The stage to Terekli was the longest of the whole 
journey, amounting to 22^ miles; in the course of it we 
crossed the boundary between the provinces of Turgai 
and Syr-daria. At Juluz, the first station belonging to 
the merchant Ivanoff, which had a comfortable room 
for travellers, I paid twenty-five roubles {£2 lox.) for 
the 150 miles to Kazalinsk. 
