Morris tribune., 1888-08-29
A KIRGHIS ENCAMPMENT.
DESCRIPTION OF A TENT AND ITS
SIMPLE FURNITURE.

Hospitality Of Khirgis Host--A Drink
of the National Beverage-An Artist
who Didn't Like Koumiss-An Untoward
Incident.
caused by our approach that the, encamp-
ment had not often been visited The
.swarthy. half naked children, who had
been playing out on the grass, fed in
alright to the shelter of the tents as they
saw our tarantas coming toward them
across the steppe; women rushed out to
take startled look at US and then disap-
peared; and even the men, who gathered
in a group to meet us, appeared to be sur
nrised and q little alarmed by our visit.
A few words in Kirghis, however, from
our Cossack driver treasured them, and
upon the invitation of an old man In a
red and yellow skull cap, who seemed to
be the patriarch of the band, we entered
one of the kibitkas. 1t was a circular
tent about fifteen feet in diameter and
eight feet high. made by covering dome
shaped framework of smoke blackened
poles with large overlapping sheets OF
heavy gray felt. The slightly curved
rafters which formed the roof radiated
like the spokes of wheel from large
wooden ring in the center of the dome,
and were supported around the circum-
ference of the tent by q skeleton wall of
wooden lattice work in which there was
hinged door.
The ring in the center of the dome out
lined the aperture left for the escape of
smoke and the admission of air, and di-
rectly under this aperture fire was smol-
dering on the ground inside circle of fat
stones, upon which stood few pots, ket
ties and other domestic utensils. The
furniture of tho tent was very scanty, and
consisted of narrow, implanted bed
stead, opposite the door, two or three
cheap Russian trunks of wood painted
blue and decorated with strips of tin, and
q table about four feet In diameter and
eight inches high, intended evidently to
be used by persons who habituaIly squatted
on the ground. Upon the table were
an antique metal pitcher, while here and
there, hanging against the lattice wall,
were buckets of birch bark, harness or
two, flint lock rifle, red, white and
golden saddle of wood with silver tnlaid
stirrups and pair of carpet saddle bags.
The first duty which hospitality requires
of a Kirghis host is the presentation of
koumiss to his guests, and we had no
sooner taken seats on sheet of gray felt
beside the fire than one of the women
went to the koumiss churn-a large,
black, greasy bag of horse hide hanging
against the lattice wall-worked wooden
churn dasher up and down in 1t vigorously
for moment, and then poured out of 1t
into a greasy wooden bowl fully quart
of the great national Kirghis beverage
for me. It did not taste as much like
sour milk and soda water as expected
that it would. On the contrary, it had
rather pleasant flavor; and if it had been
little cleaner and cooler, it would have
made an agreeable and refreshing drink.
tried to please the old Kirghis patriarch
and to show my appreciation of Krghis
hospitality by drinking the whole bowl
full; but underestimate the quantity Of
koumiss that it is necessary to imbibe
in order to show ones host that one
doesn't dislike it and that one is salts
fed with ones entertainment. had
no sooner finished one quart bowlful
than the old patriarch brought me
another; and when told him that single
quart was all that I permitted myself to
take at one time, and suggested that he
reserve the second bowlful for my COM
IdQS1 n1E' IIOSu1 AO AoOhSo pO Pd4lIco nLt0
grieved that In order to restore his
serenity 1 had to 60 to tho tarantas, get
my banjo and sing "There is Tavern in
the ToYn." Mr.. Frost, meanwhile, had
shtrked his duty and his koumiss by pre-
tending that he could not drink and draw
multaneously, and that he wanted to
make likeness Of the patriarch's 6-year-
old son. This seemed to be very adroit
scheme on Mr.. Frost's part, but it did not
work as well as he had expected. No
sooner had he begun to make the sketch
than the boys mother, taking alarm at
the peculiar, searching way in which the
artist looked ct his subject, and imagin-
ing perhaps that her offspring was being
mesmerized, paralyzed or bewitched,
swoopcd down upon the ragged little
urchin, and kissing him passionately, as
If she had almost lost him forever, car
ried him away and hid him, This unto
ward incident cast such gloom over the
subsequent proceedings that after sing
ing four verses of Solomon Levi" in n
vain attempt to restore public confidence
in Mr.. Frost, put away my banjo and
we took our departure. KEENAN,
in The Century.