New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-31

JOURNEYS ~ PERSIA AND kJIniSTAN nHt y y
i;Yn J, Wit r. 'TiiE HISTORIAN RANAIl,. J.,
Mr.. Li.hop d,aldl J.. irn. In two v.lnm. $ WI WI
portrait. map, and Illustrations. H'o' pp' 81 '''
l., r. 'mtnan'- sons.
| Mrs. Eisi,op l1s 9rc been known rs m accom-
plishcd ard enthusiastic traveller. who's endurance
reorlrS,r,s an coolncss in danger are not less re-
marl,ablc than the kccnncss Of lcr observation an'
tie Intelligence 81 her judi men's But neither SIZE
| nor any other woman has surely cncountcrcl suci
n succession Of pcrils, suffcringS and misery of al
kinds as it was her lot 10 experience during The
| journeys described in these interesting volumes
| She started in the winter from Bachdad. The sca
son was 80 warm that she had almost given mp bet
| pHrposc when The offer of an East Indian officer
| who was going the same way. 10 escort her. deter
mined her 70 20 on ~ size had originally inicn lei
! The Journey Was enough - have taken the heart
ont Of most men, but Ms Bishop bravcly faced Tho
ccasclcss trials and The daily and nj }htly dihcom
| forts, and bore up under weather which actually
| killed strong men whose business II was 10 travel
The road lay over mountains and through steep and
difficult passes after passing the Persian frontier
II was no, merely ordinary storms that had 30 be-
endured bul furious billiards. in winch progress
was impossible and against which no wrappines
| coui protect the travellers Her escort WAS n man
of hclculcan strength and great endurance. but at
/
| full blasts Of snow ard icy wind.
| 1 passage concerning ore Of these Billiards may
j., cited 10 show what they wee. On the occasion
referred to five men in caravan which had pre-
.cdcd Mrs Bishops were brought hack cJrrscS,
having fallen victims to the storm. we had"
writes the plucky traveller, 10 climb n long as
cending plateau for 1000 feet to snrmount pass
The snow was at times three feet deep. and the
tracks even Of IA heavy caravan which crossed he
fore MS were efaccd by the drift in few minutes
4 sun without heat scntillated and garcd like an
electric light, white and unsympathctic ont of =
pilicsS sky without cloud. rs soon rs we emerged
from Sannah the 'dcmon-wind' seized on us-a
steady bgbtng. searching mcrcilcss blast no rise
or fall no lull. no hope. Steadily and strongly it
swept, at a temperature Of degrees, across The
glittcring asccnt-swcpt m0untain-sdcs bare en-
yclopcd us at times in glittcrug swirL Of powdcry
SHOW, which after biting and stnSing carccrcl over
the slopes in twisted columns; scrccchcd down
gOracs and whisted like the demon il was as it,
drifted the light frozen snow in layers, in ripplcs
in waves. n cruel bcnumbing, binding, whitening
invsibility! The six woollcn layers Of my mask,
my three pairs Of gloves. my shccpskn coat fur
cloak and macintosh piled on over swaddling
mass Of woollen clothing, were nothing before
that awful blast. II was not question of comfort
or discomfort, or OF suffering more or less but OF
life or DEATH as the corpscs few miles ahead Of us
show. ] am certain that If IT had lasted another
half hour too should have persisted The torture
OF my limbs down 70 my feet, Of my temples AMI
chcckboncs, the anguish and usclcssncss Of my
hands, from which the rcinS had dropped were Of
small consequence compared with a chill which
crcpt round my heart, threatening cessation Of
work"
After several hours Of such experience the party
arrived at village and put up N the caravanscrai
And this was the accommodation awaiting them
" Crumbling difficult stairs al each end OF "A crumb-
ling mud house led 10 rooms which barely afforded
a shelter, with a runous barn between where the
servants REGARDLESS OF consequences, kept up a
bonfire. a man shovcllcd most of the snow out Of
my room and tried 10 make a fire but failed as
neither he nor | could stand the smoke produced by
the attempt This imperfect shelter had window
frame with three sout OF four OF its wooden panes
gone and n cracked door. which could only exercise
partial privacy by being laid ganst the posts from
the outer landing. which was fiat roof. The wall
was full Of cracks big enough for finger, through
which the night wind riOtcd in temperature of )
degrees below zero Bad as this may seem il was
by no means specially miserable example. nor was
it among the most intolerable of lodgings. Very