The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XVI, No. 6 [‎375v] (103/232)

676 ON THE AFGHAN FRONTIER: A RECONNAISSANCE IN SHUGNAN.
asleep as they ate, and lay sprawling about in all sorts of ungainly postures. On
account of the proximity of the Afghans and the obvious disadvantages of our
position, we posted several foot soldiers as sentries on the ridge of the slope, which
was the only place by which we could have been surprised.
In spite of my own fatigue, I could not get to sleep. The gloomy genius of
the surroundings seemed to weigh on me, and the most hopeless thoughts thronged
through my brain, and made me utterly miserable. “Out of the depths have I
called unto Thee, 0 Lord! ” The sombre, grand old psalm sank deep into me, and
I felt a little perhaps of what our Aryan ancestors felt—fear of the unknown, the
vast, illimitable nature surrounding us! Only the rhythmical gurgle of flowing
water and the mournful soughing of trees rocked by the wind broke the heavy
black silence. At last I fell into a troubled sleep, and when I woke again—what
a relief! All was noise and bustle, and in the general hurry-scurry of my fellows
I soon forgot the terrors of the night.
July 28.—A memorable day. We continued our journey at 7 a.m., and
crossed the Badjan-Dara. This was comparatively easy, as the mountain-rivers
rarely contain much water in the early morning. We had some more difficult
ascents to get over, however. The first half of the one we now faced was not so
steep but that the loaded horses and ourselves could ride up; but the second half
was like a huge irregular staircase up a slightly slanting cliff. Here we experienced
a renewal of our old troubles; but thanks to our men having in a measure gained
fresh strength, and to the help afforded us by a number of willing Tajiks who had
come to meet us, we made much better progress. We had to be careful also not
to overtire our men on account of possible events.
In an old number of the journal Razvyedchick, I remember once reading an
article on the training of German cavalry. One part described the exercises by
which they were taught to ride over different obstacles in the road. Among others,
I remember that one exercise was to ride “upstairs” and down. This seemed
to me very curious at the time; but now, since I had had my own share of riding
“ upstairs ” and other unpleasantness, I could not help admiring the effective
ness with which the German military code seeks to prepare their cavalry for all
sorts of emergencies. It is certainly worthy of imitation by other nations.
We soon rode into a large place, from which could be seen the far-off kishlag
Sendip, the residence of our titled companion, Azis-Khan.
This was a glorious day, and the scenery truly delightful after the gloomy
grandeurs we had just escaped from. On account of the proximity of the Afghans
we had resolved to move forward, massed together, with the baggage in the
centre. While our soldiers were making the necessary arrangements I took the
opportunity of taking a peep at the kishlag and the surrounding country
through my field-glasses. The kishlags of the Shugnanis generally consist of a col
lection of a few homesteads with fields, but not grouped close together. Each
family generally consists of the father, mother, and married brothers^ The
‘‘ saklyas” (huts) of the Tajiks are made of stones, held together with clay, and
look like so many rude cowsheds. These huts often have no windows, and the
doors are always made very small, several boards being roughly nailed together.
Light enters through a quadrangular opening in the ceiling, which can be shut by
a shield; and this opening at the same time serves as an outlet for smoke. The
fireplace, “ruuz,” is built against one of the walls of the hut, and the sanitary
arrangements are very imperfect. As there are no windows, the huts of the
lajiks are very dark, damp, and foul. Of furniture there is hardly any, and its
absence is badly compensated for by wide shelves along the walls. On these
shelves the inmates sit, sleep, dine, etc. The majority of Tajiks’ dwellings
are