Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-03-06
THE NATIVES OF SIBERIA

Leaving the city of omsk ON his
journey TO the eastward. the Siberian
traveller sees for the first time the gen
ulne steppe in the full sense of the
serm-a country level as the sea. with
nor hillock or even gentle undulation
70 break the straight line of the hori-
zon, and not patch of cultivation, q
tree. bush or even stone 10 diver
sify the monotonous expanse. TRAY
ersing such a region is, | need scarcely
say. very weary work-all the more as
there are no mile-stones or other land
marks to show you the progress you
are making. Still, II is not so over
whelmingly wearisome as might be
supposed. In the morning you may
watch the vast lakes, with their rug
ged promonotories and well wooded
banks, which the mirage creates for
your amusement. Then during the day
there are always one or two tritling in
cidentS which arouse you Il little from
your Somnolence. Now YOU deScry Il
couple of horsemen on the horizon or
encounter Il long train of camels
marching along with solemn. stately
step, and speculate as TO the contents
of the big packages with which they
are laden. Now you observe the ear
cass of Il horse that has fallen by the
wayside, and watch the dogs and the
steppe eagles fighting over their prey.
Now you perceive pleasant sight
of ALA group of haystack-shaped
tents in the distance, and you hurry on
to enjoy the grateful shade of a kirg-
hiz kibitka and drink OF the refresh
ing koumiss.
One of these aouls. or tent villages,
in which we put up for the night, con
sisted OF about twenty tents. all con-
strueted ON the same model and scat
tered in sporadic fashion without the
least regard to symmetry. Close by
was a watercOurse, which appeared ON
some maps as river, but which was
at that time merely succession of
pools containing dark-colored liquid.
As we more than suspected that these
pools supplied the inhabitants with
water for culinary purposes, the sight
was not calculated to whet our appe-
tites. For want of something better 10
do we watched the preparations for
dinner
The dinner itself was not less prin-
tive than the method of preparing it.
The table consisted of large napkin
spread in the middle of the tent, and
the chairs We're represented by cush-
ions. on which we sat cross-legged.
There were no plates. knives, forks,
spoons or chop-sticks. Guests were ex-
pected all to eat out of a common
wooden bowl, and to use the instrIl-
ments with which nature had provided
them. The fare was copious, but not
varied, consisting entirely of boiled
mutton without bread or other substi-
tute. and a little sailed horse flesh
thrown in as an entree.
To eat out of the same dish with half
dozen Mohammedans who accept
their Prophets injunction about ahlrE
tons In a highly figuratively sense il
not an agreeable occupation; but with
these kirghiZ something worse than
this has to be encountered, for their
favorite method of expressing their es
TEEN and affection for one with whom
they are eating consists In putting bits
of mutton and sometimes even hand
fuls of hashed meat into the mouth oil
the guest with their dirty fingers Oh
such occasions as these it required M
little effort to subject our feeling OF
nausea to sense of Kirghiz polite
ness.
As drink tea is not greatly used II
the stcppe, the Kirghiz buying the
cheapest kind of what IL called .'brick
tea''-tea which Is hard pressed int
molds so that Ii resembles bricks
otherwise they always have koumiss
a liquor made of fermented mare.
milk.
The kirghiz kibitka Is circular ten
made of felt spread over a light wood
en- frame. This frame is easily takeI
apart and put together, and is so light
as 10 form d load for a single camel
The broad pieces of felt are easily
stretched over 1t, so that the whole car
be put UP in about ten minutes. Or
one side is a door covered with q flaI
of felt, and the fire is built in the mid
die, the smoke escaping through ar
opening in the roof. The interior OF
the tent is decorated with pieces Oh
ribbons of various kinds, used to fast
en- down the felt, and around the side,
the KirghiZ place and hang all theil
valuable goods, consisting of carpets
silk mattresses and cloths, and some