CHAPTER XXXIX. 
THE START FROM MERKET 
I SLAM and Yakub came back on 8th April. After 
a great deal of haggling and trouble, they had suc- 
ceeded in getting at Kargalik eight splendid male camels 
for a trifle over ^6 lo.?. apiece. It had somehow got 
wind amongst the inhabitants, that we absolutely must 
have camels for our desert journey ; and in consequence 
they put up their prices to double or three times what 
they usually were. A further difficulty arose out of the 
fact that the only animals which would serve our purpose 
must be such as were accustomed to the level plains, and 
to travelling in desert regions — animals which were used 
to moving over sand and could endure heat and other 
privations. These qualities were of much more conse- 
quence than the appearance of the beasts, and their 
condition of fie.sh. 
During the morning we christened the camels, and 
measured their girths between the humps, with the view 
of ascertaining how they would compare in that respect 
at the end of the journey. Here are the names and 
measurements of the several animals : — 
Ak-tuya (The White Camel) 
Boghra (The Male) 
Nahr (The Tall) 
Babai (The Old) 
Chong-kara (The Big Black) 
Kityick-kara (The Little Black) 
Chong-sarik (the Big Yellow) 
Kityick-sarik (The Little Yellow) 
8 years old, /ft. qin. in girth 
4 .. .. 7 ft- 8 1 in. „ 
2 „ „ 7ft. 4jin. ., 
IS » 7ft- 5 Jin- „ 
3 .. 7ft- 3jin- 
2 „ „ 7ft. 3in. „ 
2 „ „ 7ft. 6|in. „ 
1 1 „ „ 7ft. oin. „ 
How little we foresaw that only one camel, namely 
Chong-kara, would survive the journey! Ak-tuya, a 
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