248 THROUGH ASIA 
but I loved to dream that it was bringing me greetings 
from home. Little did I know then that I had still three 
whole years of hard travel before me in the heart of Asia ! 
My life was however anything but solitary. Apart 
from the staff of the consulate, the place swarmed with 
Orientals — Sarts and Kirghiz — who came in and out 
on business or pleasure. Then there was a crowd ot 
Mohammedan servants, and a Chinese interpreter, to 
say nothing of hens and chickens to the number of 
three hundred, turkeys, geese, and ducks, a monkey. 
GARDEN OF THE RUSSIAN CONSULATE IN KASHGAR 
four parrots, and more than a dozen dogs. I was on 
good terms with the whole menagerie, with the sole 
exception of the monkey. His favour I could not 
succeed in winning, even when I resorted to such 
tempting delicacies as apples and pears. 
During my seven weeks’ stay in Kashgar I often dis- 
cussed my plans of travel with Mr. Petrovsky, especially 
how my journeys ought to be arranged, so that I might 
visit each region in the season most favourable for reaping 
a successful harvest of observations. The result of our 
conversations was a total alteration of the original idea 
