Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-26
The rurcoman at Home.

ANY traveller who has crossed the
wild upland region la.ely occupied by
Russia on the border Of Afghanistan,
and has seen the Turooman and Afghan
villages with which It Is studded, has
surveyed at one glance the past aud the
present of Central Asia. The fortress
like Afghan hamlet, with its huge gray
mud wall and narrow, sinister loop.
holes, behind which the low, fat-roofed
earthen novels huddle so closely together
as barely to leave passage.room between
them, represents the marauding shep.
herd Of the East in his more advanc ed
stage of fixed residence in one spot,
but still retaining enough of his
guerrilla nature to regard every stranger
as an enemy, and to build every house
like fort. The light Turcoman tent OF
felt and saplings, set up or pulled down
in a few moments, typifies the same man
in his original character of wandering
herdsman, flying from his enemy or
pouncing upon him with equal SUDDEN
ness, swooping off with his oooty into
the desert like one of its own vuitures,
ever occupied with the duties OF hndlng
grass and water for the focks and herds
that formed his whole possessions, and
of anticipating any foe who wished to
cut his throat by cutting the latter's
throat first.
But DESPITE all these bandit qualities
the Turconan at home is not rad fel.
low by any means. Drawing bride on
the crest of one of those long, low
swells that break at times the gray I'm.
ending sameness of the vast plains OF
Central Asia, you see below you tiny
stream, sharply outlined against the sur
rounding desert by the dark belt of
underground fringing it: On the bank
stand a dozen or more huge,
pointed, dark gray objects very
much like gigantic "dunoe caps,
around which a number of
sheep and cattle are feeding. A shrill
cry from tall figure among them brings
out of the tents half score of gaunt,
sinewy fellows in soiled, white tunics
and high caps of black sheepskin, hand.
ling menacingly the spears and guns
which they have snatched up.
The Turcoman "Beg," or chief (for
such he isl, greets you with gut ural
"Kosh amedeid" (you are welcome),
more reassuring than the short curved
sabre within reach of his hand, which
shows by its notches that it has once
done thriving business. But its master
is now tolerably peaceable subject of
Russia. converted by that persuasive
strategy which might give hint to the
invaders of the Soudan: Owe never
wasted time in pursuing them, but
beset the watercOurses whittier they
must repair sooner or later, and then
we had them at our mercy" He kindly
offers you seat on newly hayed and
still bloody sheepskin and hands you an
earthen jar of milk and a wooden spoon,
licking the latter clean as special COM
pliment. Should you arrive on the
day of unwonted plenty, which results
Ffrom a camePs death by age or dis
ease, you may preface with the blue,
stringy meat bowl of "brick tea" with
salt for sugar and rancid fat for cream.
The chiefs little brown girls, who crowd
around you to play with your sash tas.
sells and the fringe of your turban, wear
small brass coin embedded in the skin
OF the forehead, Turcoman lady's
traditional ornament ever since Isaiah
denounced its Hebrew counterpart. But
with all this hospitality you will do
wisely not to prolong your call, as every
Turcoman tent swarms with "indige-
nous creepers" not classified by any
botanist.-N. Y. Times.