LIFE AMONG THE KIRGHIZ 423 
up, and the place covered with a stone ; or if the dead 
man were a bai, his grave is marked by a small dome 
standing on a rectangular base. For forty days after the 
interment the grave is visited by the mourners. 
The household goods of a Kirghiz family are not many. 
When they flit, twm or three yaks generally suffice to 
transport all their belongings. The yurt (uy) itself, with 
its wooden pole and thick felt covering, the saddles, horse- 
cloths, “bedclothes,” and loose carpets are the most 
bulky. Next come the household utensils, among which 
the kazan, a large iron cooking-pot, is the most important ; 
furthermore china basins (chintieh and pialeh), flat wooden 
dishes {tabak), iron or copper cans with handles and lids 
{ktingan and chugun). A number of other things, such as 
a loom, a kneading-trough, a corn-sieve, hatchets, sacks 
for keeping corn and flour in, a cradle, a Addle, and a 
guitar, an iron stand for the cooking-pot, pokers, etc., are 
never wanting in a well-appointed uy. Most of these 
articles are bought at Kashgar, Yanghi-hissar, or Yarkand, 
though there are native blacksmiths and carpenters in 
the Sarik-kol valley. The wood for their yurts is procured 
from the valleys on the east side of the Mus-tagh-ata, 
as no trees grow in the Sarik-kol valley. 
In every tent there is always a place set apart, the 
ash-khaneh (larder), in which they keep milk and cream 
in many forms, as well as other kinds of food. The drink 
chiefly in favour is ayran (boiled milk diluted with water, 
and left to become sour), a particularly refreshing drink in 
the summer. Kaintak is yak’s cream of the most delicious 
description, thick and sweet and yellow, with a flavour 
of almonds. Ordinary milk is called std. All these 
various kinds of milk are kept in goat-skin bags. 
The Kirghiz live chiefly on yak’s milk and mutton. 
A sheep is slaughtered once or twice a week ; and the in- 
habitants of the aul then enjoy a good square meal. They 
crowd into the tent, round the fire, where the meat 
is boiling in the kazan. The portions are distributed 
amongst those who are present. Then each pulls out his 
knife, and eats aw'ay till nothing is left but the bare bone ; 
