THE ISFAIRAN VALLEY 
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Gigantic talus-slopes or landslips, resulting from the action 
of wind and weather upon tlie more friable rocks of the 
mountains above, stretched down to the bottom of the 
valley. The course of the stream was marked by a few 
scattered trees and bushes growing close to the margin. 
Upon the mountain sides above many a venerable and 
stunted archa (Asiatic juniper) hung its shag-gy head 
over the yawning precipices. 
Time after time we had to cross over the stream on 
wooden bridges, which sagged and swayed at every step 
we took. One of these was known by the significant 
name of Chukkur-kopriuk, that is the Deep Bridge. Seen 
from the lofty crest along which the path ran, it looked 
like a little stick Hung across the narrow cleft far down 
below. Headlong down the mountain side plunged the 
track; then over the bridge and as steeply up again, 
zigzag, on the opposite side. At every ten or a dozen 
paces the panting horses stopped to catch their breath. 
Again and again their burdens fell forwards or backwards, 
according as they descended or ascended, and had to be 
hitched right again. The voices of the men urging on 
the horses, and shouting warnings to one another, echoed 
shrilly among the hollows of the precipices. In this way 
We made our way slowly and cautiously along the narrow, 
breakneck path. 
Shortly after crossing the Deep Bridge, the road 
became paved with ice-slides, and bordered with snow - 
clad slopes, which terminated a little lower down in a 
vertical wall, at the foot of which the clay-slates cropped 
cut in sharp-edged slabs or flakes. I he first horse of the 
string, the one which carried the bags of straw, together 
with my tent-bed, was led by one of the Kirghiz guides, 
but, despite the man’s care, when he came to this spot 
^be animal .slipped. He made frantic efforts to recover 
bis feet. It was in vain. He slid down the declivity, 
^■Urned two or three summersaults through the air, crashed 
U-gainst the almost perpendicular rocks which jutted up 
ffom the bottom of the valleys and finally came to a dead 
^'^cp in the middle of the river. The bags burst and the 
