Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-18
A KIRGHIS ENCAMpMENT.
DESCRIPTION OF A TENT AND ITS
SIMPLE FURNITURE.

Hospitality of q Khirgis Host-A Drink
of the National Beverase-An Artist
Who Didn't Like Keumiss-An Untoward
Incident.
It was evident from the connection
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 dsap-
peared; and even the men, who gathered
in group to meet US, appeared to be sur
prised and 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 skeleton wall OF
wooden lattice work in which there was q
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 a 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 the 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 a
few dirty wooden bowls and spoons and
an antique metal pitcher, while here and
there, hanging against the lattice wall,
were buckets of birch bark, harness or
two, a flint lock rifle, red, white and
golden saddle of wood with silver inlaid
Btirrups and pair of carpet saddle bags.
The first duty which hospitality requires
of Kirghis host is the presentation of
koumiss to his guests, and we had no
sooner taken seats on q sheet of gray felt
beside the fire than one of the women
went to the kouuliss churn-a large,
black, greasy bag of horse hide hanging
against the lattice wall-worked wooden
churn dasher up and down in it vigorously
for moment, and then poured out of it
into a greasy wooden bowl fully quart
of the great national Kirghis beverage
for me. 1t did not taste as much like
sour milk and soda water as | expected
that it would. On the contrary, it had
rather a pleasant favor; and if it had been
little cleaner and Cooler, 1t would have
made an agreeable and refree'hing drink.
l tried to please the old kirghis patriarch
and to show my appreciation of Kirghis
hospitality by drinking the whole bowl
ful; but | underestimate tho quantity Of
kouInisS 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; aud when l told him that single
quart was all that permitted myself to
take at one time, and suggested that he
reserve the second bowlful for my COM
rade, Mr.. Frost, he looked so panied and
grieved that in order to restore his
serenity had to go to the tarantas, get
my banjo and sing ''There is Tavern in
the Town" Mr.. Frost, meanwhile, had
shirked his duty and his koumiss by pre-
tending that he could not drink and draw
simultaneously, and that he wanted to
make a likeness of the patriarch's 6-year-
old son. This seemed to be q 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 at his subject, and imagin-
ing perhaps that her offspring was being
mesmerized, paralyzed or bewitched,
swooped down upon the ragged little
urohin, 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 G
vain attempt 70 restore public confidence
in Mr.. Frost, put away my banjo and
x-n tooly nr7r 61y0a -(rpnro.a KanDln