FROM KASHGAR TO IGHIZ-YAR 257 
and let him enjoy the rare treat of listening to a tune 
on the musical-box. One of the inhabitants of the place 
strummed a (zither), and a mollah read aloud passages 
from the Koran to a group of the Faithful. 
One task (five miles) south of the village there is an 
iron-mine known as Kok-bainak. The ore occurs in 
■Strata of loose earth or clay, and is dug out and carried 
to Ighiz-yar to be smelted. Both the appliances and the 
process of extraction are of the most primitive description ; 
the furnace being only about six feet high, with three feet 
interior diameter. It is housed in a little hut built of 
planks and sun-dried clay. After the furnace is half filled 
with charcoal, the ferruginous earths are thrown in, till 
they cover the charcoal to the depth of six or eight inches. 
The fuel is then lighted, and half-a-dozen men squat on 
their haunches in front of as many holes made near the 
bottom of the furnace, and blow Into It with goat-skin 
bellows, in order to intensify the draught. They keep up 
at that nearly all day long, from time to time examining, 
by means of an iron rod inserted through a hole in the 
side of the furnace, how the smelting is progressing. 
Towards evening the molten metal comes running out at 
the bottom of the furnace. After every burning the 
furnace of course reejuires to have the slag and ashes 
raked out, so that it may be clean and ready for a fresh 
batch of ore. The metal thus obtained is of such a 
miserably poor quality that it cannot be forged. It is 
only fit to be converted into the more primitive agricultural 
’mplements. It is no use for horse-shoes. One entire 
<-Hy’s smelting yields 5 chdreck, which are sold in Yanghi- 
hlssar for 30 tengeh (6^-. 8nf.). One chareck is equal 
to 12 jing ; and one jing equals Russian pounds or 
‘4 pounds avoir. The owner of the furnace, the. yi(2-das/ii 
(chief of one hundred men) or village chieftain of 
Ighiz-yar, manages the business himself, personally super- 
mtending the smelting, and paying each of his seven 
workpeople at the rate of only six da-tien a day ; the 
da-tien being a Chinese bronze co“m equal to less than 
half a farthing in value. 
1.-17 
