THROUGH ASIA 
406 
which was afterwards sung of an evening to the music of 
a gedyack (violin), and no doubt will be handed down to 
posterity in the form of a legend. 
It really was a supreme moment in my existence, when 
the boat was launched. The Kirghiz followed its move- 
ments with bated breath, and were astounded at my 
temerity, when I stepped in and went for a short sail in 
her, for it was blowing hard. But the little craft, with 
her five goat-skin bags, rode the water gaily, and Tog- 
dasin Beg was so encouraged by the sight that on my 
next trial-trip he willingly accompanied me. 
Never did bluer, purer, fresher waves rock a more 
ramshackle contrivance than ours ; she seemed to feel 
about as much at home on the water as a hen or a cat. 
No pride at being the first to ride the waves of the 
Kara-kul ; no exultation at being at such a sublime 
altitude above the level of the sea ! Anxiously she 
swayed on the crisp curling waves ; which seemed as if 
they took a malicious pleasure in playing with her fears. 
Oh what a boat that was ! A perfect menagerie of a 
boat ! Her carcass compounded of horse and sheep and 
goat ; in character a mule ; in her movements recalling 
the graceful gambolings of a cow. And yet she did full 
honour to her descent : for she was as obstinate as a mule, 
and when she dropped into the trough of the waves, she 
kicked and plunged like a mustang. Oh that Irish pig 
of a boat ! She never understood when you called to 
her “Starboard” or “Larboard.” “Right” and “left” 
were words that meant to her the exact opposite of what 
ordinary folk understand by them. To all the rules of 
navigation she was perfectly indifferent, and you might 
labour at her tiller like a galley-slave : she just deluged 
you with water and went her own way. No matter 
whether we wanted to go south or wanted to go north, 
she always imagined we had a head-wind to face ; and 
if we tried to tack ever so little, she was bound to fall 
off, till she o-ot wind and wave behind her. In a word, 
she was every bit as stubborn as a yak ! 
As the wind blew constantly from the south, every time 
