New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-03

ton Of your entertainer.
Supper cleared away We ssat IN the gloaniniG G
looking ont over tho dlmly ~ PIaI I.,l'iirn on
Tie lOwirg and bcatins % tho h"meWaiu-uli cI
ool,s ,nl brrl; "a thoy entered tho varons walled
enclosures where they were placed l"r sly Vu,
ing tho night. curons 1u!co'Ha1 hulu.e ,.i
here came Under NY notice AS, LOST IN revere
eaf nv tbr window half uncOns"lonS'N COM
Incnccd whistnG softly s1me snutchS, o. 1uncs.
noticed "A general movement o. u.s. sl'Ittoii.
onouG NV companions. They shifted IN their
erats looked uneasly nj each other anu nt me- AZ
length Nl-dum Kali toU,h2l ne o.. TIC sitIilOl
and said. 'FoI Gods sake Sahib, don't whistle any
more ! feared that had unwIttIngiy counl i
some prcat breach Of de Drum, anu accoItlnLY
cvru.,np myself, Tclapgod INTO silence. AFTER
v-blIn | vnisneicd to the mUuiiGh beside me, anu
n'tnd =. no NeEdu,r Kuli u ectrd 10 my whlstliuC.
Is in possible Won don't know, ictufncdth the priest
that nj This hour the euuui5 aud gus are GDldal
and wandering to ara lro. IL 'eX mr@ t H~'.
WHISTLE they will surposs You are calling them !;
and BiSuuUah we have no desire Tor thc!r conf
pauvr laltcrwad learned that TO Willie ~ LuI
daytime jsa token o. dei aHce' "nt HoV u
proper when others aI' D..
The courier vino BROUGHT DaGfur khaus mes
s9oc 10 kouchid Khan kaiH ALEC brought WIN nm
sover1l nawspaucrs. which had been forwarded 20
r,e G,un Iencfan Gin Ncsbcd. hey were. boHcie'
The first Of their kind that mad ever been seen in
tho riasr That same evening a literal % gathering
Of ths clans " took place vrhin my ,[ehnurt anu
side the crrtself to Nitue the unfolding OF these
,yordprful dDcu.neuts There was ludicrouS ms
9pprehensicn as TO tbs nature ol the5s papers rs
Ina &c already stated IurcOnian5 nave but l'te ldc
stho value o. gold thcr caIrenC5 IcnG vc"IU ,t
entirely of silver OF Taper money tEc| nave Dut
4 vcrv shGdowy notion indeed. Ih'y INST becane
aware o. its existence through having SeIled come
pu.siau paper TcUl'cs. whom radlur 90! re INES
Of COMMUNICATION between Eaml AMI Cook lcJc.
tiatthi the principal! lcw-dealer oI tlefE, bchP,
like ell OF his race, thorouehly 0hJI On "IauciIl
matters. readily purchased these IOuuo hOle-' DIV
nj ridicuous!y low price giving about t~o Grams
for Il ten rcuiic Ct stcr.ng more. ih"t 4" hi!hhy
niece OF pa a should bc worth even t"O LI'HS was
q, s,;urce Cf wonder TO tho IurcOnaus hu, ~ theF
rocoirpd value fOI It, they concluded that II must
have some mysterious VlItu' OF us own lhcy 'Ooh
nv ncws1lpsrs to Ia OF tn game nature. ana rs
tLcy wt1c much larrcr ilgn &c loUb!c uo.cs. they
thought that they must be Of vast Yaiue iEleel,
: bc gcuetm IMPRESSION appeared to Dee tl.t the
first remittance of punnc funds from lNe Lh3il7h
Padishah had arrived. II WOIld nave been anus
i'm had II not been dangerous, to witness tie eX-
IRENE disappo.utmtn displayed upon their coun-
tcDauces when told them that the documents In
puastion were simply yo3: Hapfh, or newspapers.
The cunning Old eX-VIzr, however, felt quite salts
fled that they were paper mOueI, aud tndV my
statement to the other effect was made simply IN
order TO throw dust IN their eyes and thus guar
outce nv Own secure possession of the money
Tho authors general impressions Of the Merry
Tek;ls are extrcmcl, unfavorabc. They seem to
have few Of the redeemng traits OF Orentas.
Their prevailing vice is gluttory. Their main
is raiding. The population is divided
INTO two classes. one OF winch has a purely hon
,rarv precedence over the uther Owing to the I'M
WILLINGNESS, OF rekkfs TO reside in towns, the people
are constantly fitting from one settlement TO
another. house-moying beng one of the simplest
Of domestic operations The population Of district
ia completely changed IN the course OF few years
and the tribes have only fcw vague traditions
no history worth recOunting. Tho present resi-
dent, Of Merv are comparatively recent ewigrants
and the ruins of ancient towns. which arc 10 be
found on every side were buit by races which have
left no other traces behind them of their existence.
Mr.. ODonovan Is inclined to believe that the
country now occupied by the Mcryan Akhal TEX
k6s was peoped hundred and fifty years ago by
settled Turkish population of the same rlce as the
present inhabitants Of Bokbara. Certainly the
Akhal TekkGs have been in possession Of their lrcs.
ent territory barely more than century, and thcir
brethren in Merry have not been in the oasis longer
than single generation They had established
themselves in Persian territory Sarnkhs, but were
finally driven ont into the desert. Merry had been
deserted by the Turcomans of Bokhara and was an
easy conquest, and when the Persans attacked the
Tekk6s IN their new settlements the fortune of war
changed Since their successful defence of their set
Elements they have remained in undlsruted posses
sion OF the oasis. The fertility % the soil has been
increased by an imperfect system OF irrgaing canals
and an attempt has been made to Introduce a
I oics force The inhabitants have remained, how
ever. an irregulary organized band of desert
bandits Robbery may not he considered alto
gether legitimate, but If it lie we'll executed moral
renrobation is wholly OvcrpOweTed. Petty stealing
is very rare, because even among these nomads
there is an instructive feeling of the necessity OF
some sort of law. marauder on the caravan road
or a punderer on the Persian frontier is not looked
upon as a thief. but rather as an energetic and
industrious patriot.
The interest in these volumes is centred upon the
personal experiences of the author in enectnp his
escape from the oHsIs rather than upon the char
acteristcs of the people with whom he was brought
in contact As soon az they were persuaded that
he was not one OF their enemies tho Russians they
wero convinced that he must be n most useful and
powerful friend. They were unwilling to have him
leave the oasis. They were anxious to have him
reside with them permanently I'm order TO afford
them immunity from Russian Invasion They
looked upon HIM as paladin who. as far as they
could understand. had already protected them when
they we're menaced with attack. They could not
understand why, having come voluntarily among
them and risked much to do so, he should WISH to
leave them and go back to his own COUNTRY. They
gave him an important Office, they offered him as
man, wives as he would consent to take. they
named nil the newly born infants after him. and
treated him with such delicate consideration that
he found it most difficult matter TO negotiate his
release. II Mr.. O'DonOyan had possessed even the
faintest CLEANS Of humor. he would have been
enabled 20 make the closing chapters of his work
very entertaining As is, the pages are turned
and the general effect hat of a thor
oughly conscientious but exceedingly tedious re-
cita The most careless reader cannot tail. how
ever to be impressed by the dauntless courage and
splendid pluck of the man. The ride to Mcrv was
MI achievement rem arkable for intrepidity self
possession and consummate tact-the highest char
acteristics of that most enterprsing and industri
Gus class of book makers, the war correspondents
Of modern campaigns. The qualities Of the man
are greater than the qualities of the author, and