FROM AK-SU TO KASHGAR 655 
would be excellent company. He was quitting his post 
without permission ; but for that I took it upon myself to 
answer to Mr. Petrovsky for him. 
We had a journey of 270 miles before us to Kashgar; 
but we were in no hurry, and resolved to take things easy. 
By June 7th all was ready for a start. Mohammed Emin 
procured me some Sart yakhtans (boxes), and provided 
the needful provisions, such as sugar, tea, rice, vegetables, 
honey, and so forth. Mutton we should be able to buy 
everywhere along the road. I gave Islam Bai and Kasim 
a gratuity each for their faithful services, as well as dressed 
them out from top to toe in good new clothes. I had 
lost all my own clothes, and bought myself a costume 
which was half Chinese, half Sart. This was the only 
occasion during my travels that I deprived myself of the 
prestige and respect which the European dress always 
inspires. 
We hired four horses from a karakesh (owner of caravan 
animals), paying fifty-five tengeh (12^. (id.) for each horse 
all the way to Kashgar. We left Ak-su at five o’clock 
in the afternoon ; but that day we only rode a couple of 
hours. Our first stop was at the caravanserai of hangar. 
W e travelled that short stretch down a continuous avenue 
bordered with rice-fields under water, cultivated fields, 
gardens, and houses, and encamped on a piece of meadow 
in a fine grove of poplars. Ten years before that 
Mohammed Emin had rested in the same spot with 
Przhevalsky, who was then on his way home from his 
fourth journey. Afar off in the north through the light 
dust-haze we caught a glimpse of the glittering white 
peak of Tengri-khan, towering up to 24,000 feet ; but 
it was soon enveloped in the shades of night, and so 
disappeared from our view. 
On June 8th we crossed the Kum-daria (Sand River), 
the name generally given to the Ak-su in that part of 
its course. The river was split into a number of branches, 
and the crossing was beset with no particular difficulties. 
A few days after that the ferry would come into use ; 
but five weeks later, when the river would be in full 
