The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-22
A TARTAR TEA PARTY.
AN EXPERIENCE WHICH TRIES A
TRAVELLERS STOMACH.

| "Welcome under the shadow OF my
poor tent, Ak-beg' white chief, says the
| khan, lifting the door curtain to let me
enter; ''all that have is yours"
As | enter the tent unsling my revolt
yer and lay il on the ground, while the
| khan puts down his gun beside il, thus
| signifying that we are friends and
brothers pledged 10 do each other no
| harm. Chen my hosts son, n tall active
young fellow, whose jet black eyes and
prominent features betray an admixture
OF Persian blood, rises and greets me with
n cultural "Salaam alekoumrn peace be
with YOU, for the Mohammedan saluta.
tons are the same in all the languages OF
| the east an additional bond of union be
tween Mussumans.
| | reply with the customary formula,
'Wth you be peace" and then the
worthy youth, 10y way of making me
| specially comfortable, spreads out for me
a newly ilayed sheepskin with the bloody
side uppermost, and kindly invites me to
seat myself on it in my white cotton
trousers To refuse would he Il mortal
insult; but | contriye TO drag across the
raw hide corner Of one of the sheets o.
felt that are scattered over the floor on
which | squat myself cross legged to
await the coming Of breakfast
This Is evidently not far off; but lest
my patience should fai! before its appear
ance. the young chief offers to me as
Jael did 10 the worn out Sisera thircy-iiye
centuries AGO. an earthen jar brimiul OF
fresh milk The cool draught is deli
c'ously refreshing. though not to be en-
loved without some difficulty, the milk
being 50 covered with lies as TO look like
closely printed sheet OF newspaper
THE FAMOUS "BRIcH TEA"
Meanwhile tic chief himself produces
an oblong block of some dark substance
not unlike strong tobacco, but which |
recognize at Il glance rs the famous
"brck tea" that is brought on camel back
acros; the whole breadth Of Asia 10 Rus
sia's great annual fair at Niini-NoygorOd.
knocking Oft one corner of the brick"
lac erumbles it into small camp Kettle
that is steamhg on the top of one of those
brass Russian tea urns which are now be
| rinning 20 he known 10 the west by the
name of ,amovar literally ''sclf boiler -
In atgice the whole tent is filed With
| fragrance II strong, rich. aromatic tea;
ali /. knowing by experience the rcvly-
in. power of this national drink, reach out
ing hand eagerly for tho wooden bowl
into which f. ). poured. But alas the CID
| shan. following the traditions OF his race,
las made my ten in what called 'Mogul
fashion. 80 !. O., with salt instead Of sugar
| md nation int instead Of milk, the result
being something 50 amazingly nasty That,
however invaluable as an cmetic, 1t really
docs sccm rather out OF place as an article
of hrplSflst However, | succeed thanks
30 digestion thar has confronted every
autlanlsh native dish from Siam TO
panInaJ in getting IL down without any
display Of uncalled for emotion, although
iho floating fat leaves so many long lciclcs
II halt liquid grease hanging to my mus
/ zach. a. TO make me look like fancy
sketch oi Father Christmas
Ny bowl is promptly relilled, and the
| khan noticing that the tea is too hot for
me 10 drink at a draught, pulls out OF his
pouch a huge wooden spoon literally
caked with dirt, which he carefully cleans
with his tongue and then offers it 10 me
as u special honor. Luckily | have the
presence Of mind 10 eyade this alarming
courtesy by saying that do not hold my
self worthy TO use the private spoon Or so
great chief, compliment that evidently
pleases the worthy barbarian not little
HUGE SLABS OF BREAD.
BY this time our breakfast is cooked
and in default OF any plates 10 eat 1t
Withal, the young Tartar serves out 10 us
by way OF platters hinge slabs Of bread
from plank of wheaton cake nearly rs
tall "a himself in the farther corner Of the
tent For in Central Asia bread is sold
not by the pound, but by the sheet, and
an ordinary lepeshka cake, which may
be bought for few cents, IS quite big
enough for u n-year-old boy 10 lie upon.
Whether the native bakers give their pc
culiar shape to these giant biscuits (as |
have heard waggish Russian officer as
seru By lying down and rolling upon them,
| cannot say; but / can testify that
whether eaten fresh or crisped III lhe sun
they are extremely nourishing and good.
And now the contents Of the caldron
are turned out, and one glance at the
mass OF blush stringy flesh tells me that
the meat Is camel This is an ominous
discovery for | do not need TO be told
that in these days of Russian desert
transport and field hospitals, camel IS
far too valuable to be killed for food, and
that when you find him figuring in
Tartar bill Of fare you may be pretty sure
that he has either died of old age or OF dis
ease. BUTT is an the breakfast that we are
likely 10 get within twenty-five or thirty
miles; so | take a lump Of the flesh upon
my tablet OF bread, and set 10 work tooth
and nail
In truth. the dainty requires the full
excrcirc OF both. being as tender as the
Atlantic cable; and it IS quite an open
question OF whether the meat or my teeth
shall give way first. But the old Khan
kindly comes TO the rescue by tearing Off
one ot the softer portions of his hump and
cramm!ns it into my mouth with fingers
rs black and greasy rs q stokcr's. The
meal concludes with brimming bowl OF
some gray sub-ac.d liquor. which guess ut
once to De- the famous Tartar "kumyss'
| 0crmen'ed mares milkl. and inwardiy
wonder what those who SEQ il advertised
in the streets % New York and London
would say IL they could see in what places
and ly what people If is manufactured.
David Ter "a The Cosmopolitan.
| grnfch Dial Iiiuminator.
: Gw.s matchmaker has made new
oyrftDttt.- Of electricity in the Invention