The New York herald., 1873-11-29

foot M tine mountain OF OOch -O0chak. and then
charged them with the cavalry. driving them like
wild geese for distance OF eight ten miles, and
capturing eleven "kayooks.r or boats, without
which he would never nave been able to cross the
river IL was these boats which he had ordered
60 ne brought down the river. while he marched
down the bank, that he was looking for the day
before. when the fort OF Sheik-Arik opened on
him.
UNWILLING MY MISSION
The most difficult and delicate part OF my inter-
view stiIl remained TO be got through with-in-
forming General Kaufmann what was my business
there Az judged that i would have sumcient
didiculty IN reaching the army without increasing
it by letting out my object In Joining ene
army had informed nobody what my
real business was, nor was the nature oi
my errand mentioned in my letter Oh fintroduc'ion
After he had exhausted every other topic Oh coh-
versatien at last broacned the subject win tue
remark that he would probably like to know why
had come so far He replied, "yes, ne hau some
little curiosity on the subject" supposng, think.
that had come through a mere love OF adventure.
..weI Gencrai,r said, with the uncomfortable
feeling of man who is about making revelation
which will Immediately lower him in the good
opinion OF his listeners for the truth Is had been
almost sailing under false colors 81 am the COR
respondent OF the NEW YoRR HERALD" Thought
| could observe the slightest shade OF disappoint-
ment pass over his usually benevolent face; but IL
was only for moment eyes," he said, ~ have
heard OF the NEW YORK HERALD In connection
with DR.. Livingstone, and as HERALD correspond
ent penetrated to Central Africa, suppose it was
the next thing to impossible to Keep one out OF
Central Asia-u hastened to assure him that
would try and give him no reason to regret my
coming, and that, with his permission, would
accompany the army during the rest of the cam
paign 10 Khva. To this he consented willingly,
ana, as l was afterwards informed, put me on his
stan and ordered that should receive the rations
OF a stan officer
RUSSIAN KINDNESS.
From this time forward until the end OF the cam
paign against Khiya, and afterwards, during the
war against the Turcomans was with the Russian
army and would here take occasion to remark
the kindness with which was treated on all hands.
Il arrived almost destitute. / had neither sugar
tea, the very first necessities Of life in that
country, nor anything else to eat, but never
wanted for anything; and although for the first
two days after my arrival-when their supplies
were exhausted and they had not yet commenced
receiving any from the other side Of the river,
during which time nobody had nything, not even
the black dried bread OF the soldiers-l suffered the
pangs OF hunger from the time they had anything
TO OFFER me never passed tent where they were
eating drinking tea that was not invited. From
the Grand Dukes down to the smallest officer in the
detachment it was the same. Twas ipvited on all
hands. twenty times day, to eat or take tea. In
deed, until reached Khva, made no arrange
ments for having my servants prepare meals for
me- but lived on the community at large; and now,
as | write, 1 cannot think OF the hospitality re-
ceived without throb OF grateful remembrance.
| take this occasion to thank them, to thank many
xyhnu do unt tava tun huty nd
ness ana generosity have experienced, and whose
friendly faces viii not easily forget AS had no
tent accepted the hospitality OF the officer be-
fore mentioned, and, for the first time in three
months, slept TRANQUILITY.
A GLIMPSE OF KHIvA.
The next morning at daylight we took up the
line OF march but instead OF going to Shoorahana,
down the river, was surprised to see that we
were going back to our position Of the day before,
and soon learned that Kaufman had decided to
cross sheik-Arik the scene OF the previous days
engagement. We were soon on the spot, the boats
had arrived, and within the hour the first boat
load OF fifty men had started across the river This
was the 3Otn Of May The morning was bright and
warm aud threw myself on the fresh green grass
before our tent, which we had placed at the
waters edge, and lazily watched the scene before
me. 1t was extremely beautiful and animated
The broad 0xus. flowing pacidly, as il had done
thousands ofyears ago, when Alexander stood on
its banks as IL Will do thousands OF years hence,
the sunlight dancing and glimmering over Its sill
very surface; the other shore dim and misty, lined
with dense groves of fruit trees and ems in masses
OF richest green, through which could be seen here
ana there the gray walls OF an ''Uzbeg'' farm
house or the slender facade of graveyard mosque.
forming delicious repose for our sun scorched
eyes after the burning sands. Silent 1t lay and
lonely. without any living moving figure to give 1t
life, this strange, unknown land OF Khiva,
dim and mysterious In the smoky dis
tance away over the shining water, in a
silent, sleepy glorious splendor, over which the
sunshine seemed co hang Iovngy-beautiu.
dreamy and mystical in its golden atmosphere as
the far-iamed fabIed land OF the melancholy, mild
eyed lotus eaters
STILL LIFE IN CENTRAL ASIA.
And | lay on the grass before my tent, IDLY
watching it. and thinking Of all the stories / had
ever heard OF regarding it, OF its cruel and despotIc
khans, its Wild fanatical Mohammedan population
its beautiful women, its strange, mysterious char
acter and isolated position, which had rendered it
inaccessible to Europeans the enchanted caves of
the mountain-unape to realize my position and
half expecting to wake up and find myself some
thousands OF miles away, in another sphere. The
quiet OF the other shore conrasted powerfully with
our side, which was all life, animation ana move
ment. Groups OF soldiers, horses and camels and
Cossacks, some just arriving, some splashing
about in the water, climbing into the boats, drag
ging in the artillery, forcing in the unwilling
horses, tumblng in the baggage, shouting and
crying to each other the while like mad. Here was
a boat load just putting Off from the shore here 20
brawny, muscular fellows, stripped naked, drag
ging boat up stream against the current, in
order give 1T fair start for crossing, that it
should not be borne too far down before reaching
the other side; everywhere bustle animation, life
and movement and thought it was not the least
remarkable passage OF the Oxus recorded IN his.
tory.
THE PASSAGE OF THE RIVER.
could not help admring the Russian soldiers.
Most OF them had never been In a boat in their
lives before, nor even one, probably, but tney
seemed as much at home here as though they had