TO MARAL-BASHI 
449 
of much importance, though, like Faizabad, it has two 
small gates, here also situated at each end of the bazaar, 
and called Kashgar-darvaseh and Ak-su-darvaseh (the 
Kashgar gate and the Ak-su gate). There were two 
principal mosques, called Dolon and Mussafir, with simple 
facades of grey clay, and wooden balconies inside the 
courtyard. The former was situated near the Ak-su- 
darvaseh, and outside of it there was a burial-ground 
{gabristan). Here we came upon the Kashgar-daria, 
containing a little water almost stagnant ; and from it ran 
ariks (irrigation canals), which were used for driving mills 
situated near the banks. 
We went to look at one of these mills ; it was simply 
a thatched shed, resting on piles. The corn was ground 
in a corner of the shed, between horizontal mill-stones, 
brought from Kashgar at the cost of too tengeh (22^-. 6 d.) 
each. They can be used for about five years before being- 
worn out. Ju.s-t at that time maize {koiiak) and wheat 
{bogdai) were being ground. The miller’s perquisite was 
one-sixteenth of the flour ground, and he could grind from 
32 to 40 charecks (=16 jings or 24 lbs. avoir.) in a day. 
In another place rice was being husked. Raw rice 
before being husked (paddy) is called shall; whereas 
pure white rice, freed from its awns, is called grj/lch. The 
husking mill consisted of a water-wheel, running on a 
horizontal crank and driving a couple of wooden hammers, 
which fitted into two hollow slantino- grrooves, in which 
the raw rice or paddy was poured. The rice was freed 
from its husks and awns by repeated beatings of the 
hammers, the refuse being afterwards sifted away. Every 
sackful of rice was put three times through the mill. For 
this the miller got a tithe of the husked rice, and he could 
finish 15 charecks in the day. As a chareck of rice cost 
4 tengeh in Maral-bashi, the man thus earned 6 tengeh 
(i^-. 3^/.) a day. Large quantities of rice, maize, and 
wheat are grown in the neighbourhood. 
In the morning a Chinese official and four begs came to 
welcome me in the name of the amban (governor of the 
tow-n). The begs were extremely civil and communicative, 
I.-29 
