Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-01-14

sup. anu speculate as TO the contents
OF the big packages with which they
are laden. Now you observe the car
cass of horse that has fallen by the
Wayside, and watch the dogs and the
steppe eagles fighting over their prey
Now you perceive-most pleasant sight
OF ala group of haystack-shaped
tents in the distance and you hurry on
to enjoy the grateful shade of 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-
structed 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 Il river, but which was
at that time merely a succession of
pools containing a dark coiored 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-
titles. For want of something better TO
do we watched the preparations for
dinner
The dinner itself was not less prim-
tive than the method Of preparing it.
The table consisted of a large napkin
spread in the middle of the tent, and
the chairs were 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 common
wooden bowl, and to use the instru-
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 little sailed horse flesh
thrown in as an entree.
To eat out Of the same dish with half
a dozen Mohammedans who accept
their Prophets injunction about ablu-
tons in highly tguratively sense is
not an agreeable occupations; 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 of
the guest with their dirty fingers. On
such occasions as these it required no
little effort to subject our feeling of
nausea to 4 sense of Kirghiz polite
ness.
AS Il drink tea is not greatly used in
the steppe, the Kirghiz buying the
cheapest kind Of what is called "brick
tea'-tea which is hard pressed into
molds so that it resembles bricks
otherwise they always have koumiss,
q liquor made of fermented mares
milk.
The KirghiZ kibitlla is a circular tent
made of felt spread over light wood
en- frame. This frame is easily taken
apart and put together, and is so light
as to form Il load for single camel.
The broad pieces of felt are easily
stretched over it, so that the whole can
be put up in about ten minutes. On
one side is door covered with a flap
Of felt. and the fire is built in the mid
die, the smoke escaping through an
opening in the roof. The interior Of
the tent is decorated with pieces Of
ribbons of various kinds, used to fast
en- down the felt, and around the sides
the Kirghiz place and hang all their
valuable goods, consisting of carpets,
silk mattresses and cloths. and some
times, in cases Of richer men. of eve;l
silver articles. with the trappings OF
horses and household utensils. The
kibitka combines the advantages OF be-
ing cool in summer and warm in win.
ter.
These nomads who inhabit the step
ne regions of Turkestan and Western
Siberia are not the same people as tile
true Kirgiliz or l5uruts who live about
the Lake Issykkul and in the mount
aims of I<hokand, and are called by
the Russians Karu-KirghiZ (black kir-
ghiz) and also Dikokomenny or wild
mountain kirghiz. They do not speak
of themselves as Krghiz which is a
name given them by the Russians but
are known only as Kazuk, the same as
the Russian COOssack, which, as used
in Central Asia, means simply Il vaGa-
bond or wanderer, and its application
is evident.
The Kirg,iz speak Il language which
is one of the purest dialects Of Tar
tar, although the kernel Of their race
is evidently Turkish. 1t was in the
beginning Of the eighteenth century,
when the Kirghiz through internecine
disputes, found themselves attacked
IN fila southwest by the KalmuckE, on |