6i6 
THROUGH ASIA 
and beg'an to tell him in a few words how I came thither. 
But he turned abruptly on his heel, and disappeared into 
the nearest thicket, leaving his sheep to their fate. 
After a while he came back in company with an older 
shepherd, who was more amenable to reason. I areeted 
him in the same way as I had done the first man, with 
Salaam aleikutii !'’ Then I told him the whole story of my 
journey across the desert. When I said, that I had eaten 
nothing for a week, and asked them for a piece of bread, 
they led me to a hut close by, constructed of branches, 
and scarcely five feet high. I sat down on a ragged felt 
carpet, and the younger shepherd brought out a wooden 
platter, with some freshly baked maize bread. I thanked 
them, then broke off a piece and began to eat ; but I had 
not eaten above half-a-dozen mouthfuls when I turned 
suddenly faint. The shepherds gave me a pan of sheep’s- 
milk, which tasted excellent. After that they went away, 
and left me for a little while alone, except that two big 
dogs stayed behind and barked at me unceasingly. 
Soon after dark, the two men returned to the hut, 
accompanied by a third shepherd. Meanwhile the sheep 
had been driven into the sheepfold, to protect them from 
tigers and wolves during the night. I and the three 
shepherds slept under the open sky beside a big fire. 
May 9th. At daybreak the shepherds went off with 
their flocks. Their hut stood on a little hill on the edge 
of the forest, and through the trees commanded a view 
of the Khotan-daria. A small creek came close up to 
the hut, and in it was a pool of fresh water. But in 
addition to that, the shepherds had digged a well in the 
bed of the river, so that they had a plentiful supply of 
good, clear water. 
At noon the three men brought back their flocks, so that 
they might rest around the well during the hottest part of 
the day. This gave me an opportunity to become better 
acquainted with my hosts. Their names were Yussuf Bai, 
Togda Bai, and Pasi Akhun ; and they were pasturing 170 
sheep and goats, besides 60 cattle, belonging to a bai (rich 
man) in Khotan. Winter and summer alike they lay out 
