Morning journal and courier., 1881-09-29
With the TurkOmans. TT ;,, TaiJ Nn

Letter from MerV in London Daily NeWs. Returning from my visit to the ruined cities of the plain, had good opportunity of seeing how Turkomans amuse themselves when abroad. The ground over which we were riding, owing to deep trenches, slippery mud and occasional deep flooding, required all the horseman's vigilance to keep himself and his beast from coming to grief; but 1t was only over such spaces, disagreeable as they were, that had any peace or quietness The moment anything like firm ground was reached some one of the party suddenly ut
 tered wild whoop and put his horse to the top of it's speed. All the others were, it
 seems, bound in honor to follow suit, myself among the number. and then a scene of wild, headlong racing commenced, varied by dlt ferent performances. Each person was
 bound 10 unsling his rife, and going at full
 speed to take deliberate aim at some object and fire. Then, resting on his piece, he
 would draw his sword, and, racing up to the
 person next him, exchange passes and four ishes.
 This was all very we'll on unbroken ground,
 but the sudden occurrence of deep trench
 or mud hole became serious matter while one was engaged in displaying his martial accomplishments, his horse going twenty
 miles an hour; and, as it was sorely against my will that engaged in such antics 1t was with unfeigned satisfaction that l witnessed occasional catastrophes in the shape of some gallant khan, horse, armament and all, come down with crash in attempting to clear an unusually wide mud patch and get up the re- verse of pleased with himself. But these people take a pride in showing their stoicism, like North American Indians, and the man wto had come to grief was the first to initi- ate fresh stampede.
 It wanted but an hour of sunset as we drew near Makdumkull Khan's present resi- dence: for it is not his permanent abode. He lives with his younger brother, 1oussut Khan.
 The Khans had ridden on before, and as l dismounted at the entrance to the dwelling came forward to receive me. They were dressed in the usual Turkoman robes of the upper class-a long tunic of coarse crimson silk reaching nearly to the ankle. and with narrow combined stripe of black and yellow. This was girt at the waist, rather high up, with voluminous white sash of cotton, ln the front knot of which was stuck highly decorated sheath knife foot long; enor mously wide pantaloons of white cotton, red leather slippers, and an enormous grenadier hat of black sheepskin completed the attire. I wore tte same costume myself, for my western garb had become unpresentable through long travel
 We took our seat upon raised earthern platform, such as is to be found alongside the door of every person of consideration, and where he sits during the evening hours with his friends, It is surprising what diff ference this elevation of couple of feet makes in the temperature of the breeze. The layer of air in immediate contact with the earth, still heated by the suns rays, is as hot as if 1t passed through furnace; while little higher up it is cool and refreshing. AS for the conversation of the select party with which found myself, it is, like that of most Turkomans, distressingly inane.
 I was becoming fairly distressed in mind when matronly woman came forward and oo1 t1oFI .xr1o0 Sha yrn a long skirt of dark blue purple silk, reach ing almost to the ankles, and closely fastened at the neck by massive silver arrow. Around her neck was ponderous collar re- sembling that of Newfoundland dog, and from it, suspended by numerous chains, was an engraved plate, chased with gold ara besques and set with comedians. On her wrists were ponderous bracelets, set also with fiat comedians. The breast and stomach of the skirt were so set over with closely hung large silver coins as to give her the ap- pearance of wearing euirass of silver scales On her head was 8 casque of open silver work, showing the red cloth beneath, and surmonnted by spike like that of German soldiers helmet. Her entire appearance in her silver panoply was Minerva-like in the extreme.
 A Turkoman is ready at all moments to de- vour any amount of food of any description which may be placed before him. He seems never thoroughly satisfied even with the heaviest meal, and in five minutes more is ready to face the biggest dish of pilaf or broth that can be put before him. The ap- petites of Turkomans seem really phenome- nal. Around Marina Khan Tepe is waste space of arid earth strewn over with brick fragments, indicating the site of former town. This space was alive with snakes a couple of feet long, of a leaden gray color mottled with black, and extremely slender for one-third of their length immediately be- low the head. We spent half an hour hunt ing these up and killing them with our whips, in eonsonance with the .invariable Turkoman custom.