The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-01-05
City Of the Dead.
Current Literature.

Current Literature.
Here IL q graphic description by the
great Russian artist of the results of
the Mohammedan rebellion against the
Chinese government In the reign of
Tchugutchak: "As you approach the
town, Il is hard TO believe IL IL empty;
you cannot help hoping to meet some
human being, If Ii be only a robber.
But not a soul is TO be seen anywhere.
The houses are for the most part unin-
jured, and likewise the paintings on the
walls and the wooden lattice work of
the windows. POtsherds and fragments
of articles of every conceivable kind
were lying all about-vessels of iron
and clay of all sizes; a quantity of
copper coins strung on a string
dresses, caps, plaits of hair, shoes OF
all sizes-the clumsy shoes of Dung
hans and Calmucks side by side with
the miniature slippers of Chinese wo-
men. put pair of the extraordi-
narily small slippers in my pocket, as
memento.
"But, above all, skulls are TO be seer
living about everywhere. The town
n
impression IL produces Is terrible.
wondered about whole day in BIS
company, and then for several days
alone. without being able 10 accustom
myself TO this stiffness as of the grave,
and 10 the sight of all these streets.
chapels, theatres and squares standing
forever empty. The gate of the fort
ress, which the besiegers had b.own In,
is still tolerably strong. Near the
gate is to be seen the entrance into the
subterranean gallery by which the
besiegers, after a long and tedious
siege, made their way into the fortress.
Then came a merciless butchery. in
which no one was spared. Skulls and
bones lie literally in heaps against the
walls here and all around the fortress;
at many points, by several of the gates,
the skulls are piled up TO a great
height. In the fields around the town,
too, lie skulls as far as the eye can
reach, skulls. and skulls, and again
skulls. The wolves and jsckals have
already done their work; the ravens
are still engaged in picking the bones
clean for the sun and rain TO bleach.
"One of the farms in particular,
which lies nearest the town, abounds
in bones. A body of Calmucks, $4,000
strong, came this way to help the
besieged, but force of only few hum
dred Dunghans fell upon them, drove
them back and killed them to the very
last man. What wonderful energy on
the part of the insurgent Mohammed-
ans What cowardice on the part of
the Cinnamon! had enough TO oc-
cupy me. From the governors palace
to the simple little houses of the COM
mon people all the dwellings were
habitable, all were painted, all decor
ated with paintings, sculptures, has
reliefs, flowers, dragons, etc. Theatres
of an original construction, Buddhist
temples In which some colossal idols
were still intact Though the Moham-
medans showed great zeal in over
throwing these and breaking them in
pieces), seemed almost TO be waiting
for the people to throng in to their
prayers and their amusement. For
three whole weeks l lived with one
Cossack and one Tartar in a wretched
cabin outside the walls of the fortress,
and every day from morning till even
ing roamed about, looking at every
thing drawing and painting. Occa-
sionally a wild goat would stray into
the courtyard where was painting,
stand trans6xed with establishment,
and then rush off at full speed across
the brown and desolate steppe."