904 THROUGH ASIA 
hood of the lakes, fish- nets, a cooking-pan, and various 
other useful articles. The old man preserved all is 
treasures in a sand-dune a little to the north of 
so as to safeguard them from accidents by fire and the 
attacks of Dungan robbers. I tried to explain to him 
what our boats were like in Sweden, and how we manage 
our oars. The old man clapped his hands together, and 
KUNCHEKKAN BEG, OF ABDAL 
cried in a tone of great cocksureness, “ Oh, I knew all 
about that long ago. The Chong-tura Przhevalsky) 
told me all that. I know exactly what things look like 
where you come from. I am almost as good a ‘ Russian 
as you are.” , 
On April 21st we went a trip along the river to the 
larcre village of Kuni - chappgan, and the old chief, 
Kunchekkan Beg (the Chief of the Rising Sun), plied 
one of the oars with as much power and accuracy as 
he no doubt did sixty years before. 
