Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-11-30
a NOVEL TOUR,
TWO AMERICANS RIDE ACROSS
ASIA ON BICYCLES.
Armed and Mounted Guards ACCOM-
pany Thcm Through Turkey
Good-Natured Curiosity
of tho Natives.
JOURNEY of moro tbon

e uueQuuleu among tours
around the world. When to this is
added the fact that the route
did not follow tho beaten lines of
travel, but lay through the inhos-
pitable desert of Cobb, and among
the lawless and superstitious tribes of
western and central China, the achieve
ment of the Messrs. Allen and Sachtle-
ben assumes unusual proportions.
These young men, upon the COM
pletion of their college course in st.
Louis, determined to acquaint them
selves with the lands and people of
tho Old World. In order to have
greater leisure for their studies, and
to come into closer contact with the
Inhabitants of the country visited,
they travelled on bicycles, and the
strangeness of their mode of locomo-
ton in the Orient brought Thorn many
surprising adventures.
They have written the story of thoir
long jaunt from Constantinoplo to
PelSin in series of papers in the Com
fury. Like all enterprising Ameri-
cans, they had their camera with them,
and they took frequent snapshots of
strange phases of life, many Of which
arc reproduced in the pages of tho
magazine. They loft Constantinoplc
carly in April, 1891, crossing from
Stnmboul by steamer. We quote from
tho first of tho Century articles: ga
weeks cycling from tho Bosporus
brought us beyond the Allah Dagh
Mountains, among the barren, yarie-
gated hills that skirt the Angora
plateau. Wo had all eady passed
through Ismid, the ancient Nicomedia
and capital of Diocletinn and had left
behind us the heavily timbered valley
of the Sakarin, upon whose banks the
Freebooter of the Bithynian hills
settled with his four hundred tents
and laid the foun dntion of the Otto
man empire. Since leaving Gcivch
wo had been attended by n mounted
guard, OF zaptieh, who was sometimes
forced upon us by tho authorities in
their anxiety to carry out the wishes
expressed in the letter of the Grand
Yizir.
ION emerging from tho door of IN
inn we frequently found this unex-
pcctod guard whiting with Winches-
ter rifle swung over his shoulder, and q
fleet stced standing by his side. Immc-
dintcly on our appearance lie would
swing into the saddle and charge
through the assembly. Away we
would go mt Z rapid rnto down the
streets of the ttwn or village, to the
utter amazemcnt of tho natives and
tho great satisfaction of our vain
glorious zaptieh. AS long rs his
horse was fresh, or until we were out
of sight of the village, he would urge
us OH with cries of 'Gellchabuk' Come
on, ride fast0. When bad piece of
road or steep ascent forced lis to
dismount he would bring his horse to
n walk, roll cigarette. and draw in
vidious comparisons between our
steeds. His tone, however, changed
when we reached decline or long
stretch of reasonably good road.
Then he would cut across country to
head lis off, or shout after us Mt the
top of his voice, 'Yavash -yavash'
('Slowly, slowly.
ION the whole VIC found them good-
natured and companionable fellows.
Notwithstanding their interest in bak-
shish which we were compelled Mt last,
in self defense, to fix Mt one plaster
M hour. We frequently shared with
them our frugal, md even scanty
meals; and in turn they assisted us in
our purchases and arrangements
for lodgings, for their word, we
found, was with the common people
mn almost unwritten law. Then, too,
they were of great assistance in cross
ing streams where tho depth would
have necessitated the stripping of gar
ments; although their fiery little
steeds sometimes objected to having
IN extra rider astride their launches,
and bicycle across their shoulders.
They seized every opportunity to
impress us with the necessity of being
accompanied by Government repre-
sentative. In some lonely portion of
the road, or in the suggestive stiffness
of nm evening twilight, our Turkish
Don Quixote would sometimes cast
mysterious glances around him, take
his Winchester from his shoulder, and
throwing it across the pommel of his
saddle, charge ahead to meet the inn
aginary enemy. But we were more
harmful than harmed, for, despite our
most vigilant care, the bicycles were
sometimes the occasion of stampede
OF runaway among the caravans and
teams along tho highway. and we fire.
quently assisted in replacing the loads
thus upset. On such occasions our
pretentious cavalier would remain OH
his horse, smoking his cigarette and
smiling disdainfully.
son nearing Angora, we raced Mt
high speed over the uudulating pla-
teau. Oar zaptieh OIL his iadcd horse
faded away in the dim distance, and
we saw him no more. This was our
last guard for many weeks to come, MS
wc decided to dispense with an escort
that really retarded us. But on reach
ing Erzcrum, the Vail refused us per-
mission tO enter tho ,1iefriot Of Ala,