ters, but at the same time honest in their dealings with each other and hospitable to strangers. Some of their superstitions have the smack of extreme humanity; a basket, in the desert, must not be destroyed, because it had once formed the seat, on a camel's back, of a man, and, said these people, to destroy what had held men was regarded as a sin. But the very person who told Vámbéry this was a monster of cruelty, who denied water to a poor slave whom he had fed for two days upon salt-fish; and while a basket which has held a man is too sacred to be destroyed, the life of man is so endangered by their unbridled passions that they found a poor wretch living in a cave in the desert, like a wild beast, to escape his tribesmen, who had sworn to murder him. He had lived there solitary for many years. "Amanbol"— peace be unto thee-murmured this poor wretch, as he slunk back into his lair, when he found the travelers meant him no harm. when he reached the land of the one-eyed na- | age and brutal of man-stealers and slave-mastion, to put himself upon an equality with them, kept one of his eyes closed." But not only had he to act the part of dervish, he had to conceal carefully his curiosity about the people or the country. They have as strong an aversion to political preachers in Turkestan as they used to have in the South. "I had only to touch upon a question relating to ordinary life, or to show a curiosity for some matter or other, to make men wonderingly ask what a dervish, whose proper business was only God and religion, had to do with the affairs of this transitory world." At last they set out for Khiva, and at the outset of the journey met with a curious adventure, which well exhibits the wildness of these " Elder lands." Some great marshes they had to pass through were filled with wild hogs, and our traveler incautiously rode into the nest of a litter of pigs, at whose shrill squeals the mother hog ran up, furiously showing her tusks to the two travelers who had been unhorsed and lay upon the ground. Fortunately they were saved from attack by the spears of their companions. One of these presently brought him back his horse, with the remark, that "I might regard myself as lucky, for that a death by the wound of a wild boar would send even the most pious Mussulman nedjis (unclean) into the next world, where a hundred years' burning in purgatorial fire would not purge away his uncleanness." They fell short of water in the desert. Each watched jealously his decreasing store. It was rumored that the kervanbashi had concealed an extra supply, and while greedy and suspicious glances were cast at the leader, no doubt many of the company conceived the idea of robbing him. But no one was so foolish as to ask his neighbor for the charity of a drink. When they halted, one evening, all were in extremity. Presently they reached the borders of the "This evening my appetite left me. I had not desert, and carefully filled their goat-skins with the slightest craving even for the smallest piece water. When they had got a day's journey into of bread: my sensations were those of extreme the desert the kervanbashi suddenly came to debility; the heat of the day was indescribable. the cheerful conclusion that the dervish Reshid My strength was gone, and I was lying there Effendi was none other than a Frenghi-Euro-extended, when I perceived that all were presspean-in disguise, and proposed to leave him ing round the kervanbashi; they made a sign just there to perish as a spy. Fortunately to me also to approach. The words 'Water, Vámbéry's friends were faithful, and on their water,' gave me fresh vigor. I sprang up; how remonstrances the chief at last consented to overjoyed and how surprised I was when I saw take him along, "on the condition that thou the kervanbashi dealing out to each member of wilt, first, permit thyself to be searched to see the caravan about two glasses of the precious if thou hast any drawings or wooden pens (lead-liquid! The honest Turkoman told us that for pencils), as the Frenghis generally have; and, secondly, that thou promise to take away with thee no secret notes respecting the hills and routes." The poor kervanbashi was much annoyed with the contrary advices he received on this matter; but he referred the whole matter elsewhere, repeating to himself continually "Khudaïm bilir!"-God knows. years it had been his practice in the desert to keep concealed a considerable quantity, and this he doled out when he knew that it would be most acceptable; that this would be a great sevab (act of piety), for a Turkoman proverb says that a drop of water to the man thirsty in the wilderness washes away a hundred years' sins." This was the man who intended, without hesitation or compunction, to leave our traveler to perish in the desert! On their way to Khiva they frequently fell in with the nomadic tribes who wander over this country. To many individuals of these our This humane monster's suspicions were allaytraveler became serviceable because he could ed, but not satisfied. When they entered Khiva, write; he was employed, when they halted, to all were called to an audience of the Mehrem draw up for them notes of indebtedness. These, or principal officer of the khan. To him said he remarks, when duly signed by the debtor in the kervanbashi, "We have brought to Khiva the sight of the creditor, were carefully pocketed three interesting quadrupeds (buffaloes), and a by the debtor. "When I questioned the cred- no less interesting biped," pointing at the deritor as to this remarkable manner of procedure, vish Reshid Effendi. To be suspected is to die, his answer was, 'What have I to do with the in those countries; and our traveler, thus held up writing? The debtor must keep it by him as a to general attention, heard the multitude about reminder of his debt.' him whisper, "Spy," "Frenghi," "Urus"These Turkoman tribes are the most sav- Russian-any one of the three accusations fatal. may interest our fashionable readers to know that the dinner and walking dress for gentlemen in Khiva is a high, round fur hat, a thick pair of boots, a long shirt, and nothing else! This ground gained, the dervish Reshid Ef- | him from Mecca, and whether they passed to fendi assumed a haughty air, as one who knew his palace from the Kaaba in one minute." It his value, a holy man born in the Holy Land. When he was presented to the khan it was to give a blessing to his majesty. The khan inquired about his means, but received for reply: "We dervishes do not trouble ourselves with such trifles. The holy nefes (breath) which my pir (chief of my order) had imparted to me for my journey can support me four or five days without any nourishment. My words," he writes, "seemed to have given satisfaction, for his royal highness was pleased to order that I should be presented with twenty ducats and a stout ass. I declined the ducats, with the remark that for a dervish it was a sin to keep money; thanked him, however, warmly for the second part of his most gracious favor, but begged permission to draw his attention to the holy commandment which prescribed a white ass for pilgrimages, and entreated him, therefore, to vouchsafe me such a one. I was on the point of withdrawing when the khan desired that, at least during my short stay in the capital, I should be his guest, and consent to take for my daily board two tenghe (about one franc and fifty centimes) from his haznadar." In Khiva, among other pleasant customs, they gouge out the eyes of elderly prisoners of war; and the dervish Reshid Effendi was by accident witness, with the general public, to this spectacle. I found about three hundred Tchaudors, prisoners of war, covered with rags. They were so tormented by the dread of their approaching fate, and by the hunger which they had endured several days, that they looked as if they had just risen from their graves. They were separated into two divisions, namely, such as had not yet reached their fortieth year, and were to be sold as slaves, or to be made use of as presents, and such as, from their rank or age, were regarded as aksakals (graybeards) or leaders, and who were to suffer the punishment imposed by the khan. The former, chained together by their iron collars in numbers of ten to fifteen, were led away; the latter submissively awaited the punishment awarded. They looked like lambs in the hands of their executioners. While several were led to the gallows or the block I saw how, at a sign from the executioner, eight aged men placed themselves down on their backs upon the earth. They were then bound hand and foot, and the executioner gouged out their eyes in turn, kneeling to do so on the breast of each poor wretch; and after every operation he wiped his knife, dripping with blood, upon the white beard of the hoary unfortunate. Ah, cruel spectacle! As each fearful act was completed the victim, liberated from his bonds, groping around with his hands, sought to gain his feet. Some fell against each other, head against head; others sank powerless to the earth again, uttering low groans, the memory of which will make me shudder as long as I live." This was acting his character faithfully, and the result was a great increase in popularity and a wonderful number of invitations to feasts. "My hair stands on end at the recollection how often I was forced to seat myself, between three and four o'clock in the morning, before sunrise, opposite a colossal dish of rice swimming in the fat of the sheep-tail, which I was to assail as if my stomach was empty." These invitations were not purely hospitable, for the entertainers sought information on many important subjects from the learned dervish. "These gentlemen, who give the preference to Turkey and Constantinople beyond all other places, were desirous of receiving from me, the standard of Turkish Islamite learning, an explanation of many mesele (religious questions). Oh, how warm those As he went one day to the treasurer to rethick-headed Ozbegs made me, with their colos-ceive his daily stipend he found that worthy ensal turbans, when they opened a conversation concerning the prescriptions as to the mode of washing hands, feet, face, and occiput; and how a man should, in obedience to his holy religion, sit, walk, lie, and sleep, etc.! The Sultan (a recognized successor of Mohammed) and his grandees are accounted in Khiva the practical examples of all these important laws. majesty the Emperor of Turkey is here designated as a Mussulman whose turban is at least fifty ells in length, whose beard extends below his breast, and his robe to his toes. A man might place his life in jeopardy who should assert the fact that the Sultan has head and beard shaved à la Fiesko, and clothes made for him at Paris by Dusetoye. One wanted religious instruction; another asked if the world offered elsewhere places as beautiful as Khiva; a third wished, once for all, to receive authentic information whether the great Sultan really had his each day's dinner and supper forwarded to In gaged in a singular occupation. A number of horsemen had ridden in from the camp to receive the reward of bravery. The more heads the better soldier is the rule in Khiva. battle the trooper not only kills his enemy-he cuts off his head; and these braves were now to receive robes of honor, varying in splendor His and value according to the number of heads they were able to produce to the treasurer. Some received the robe of forty heads; some the twenty-headed; others, less lucky, the fourheaded robe. As each emptied his sack upon the ground an accountant took note of the number of skulls produced. Yet it was in Khiva that Vámbéry passed the pleasantest days of his long journey. The people were full of pious charity; gifts abounded; and when he departed toward Bokhara he had a good stout donkey, money, clothing, and provisions-the gifts of the faithful. Nor was he alone; all the pilgrims were equally well fur |