The sun., 1898-12-18
THE sum, SUNDAY, DEcEMBER rs, 1sys,

material The walls. which we're quite thin.
were plastered outside as well as inside. and
were decorated with a humber OF paintings,
executed In a mastery manner They repre-
sented female figures, somewhat airly clad,
kneeling with their hands folded as In prayer.
Their,hair was twisted in black knot on the
top OF the head. and the eyebrows were traced
in continuous line. with a mark above the
root OF tho nose. after the fashion customary
among the Hlhdoos OF tho present day, Mr..
Hedin also found pictures OF men with black
boards and mustaches. In whom tho Aryan type
was clearly distinRuishable nt the first glance:
they were dressed in the same manner as the
northern Porsians. Besides these there were
ngurea Of dogs and horses. and boats rocking
on the waves. strangely Impressive, picture
In the heart OF tho arid desert; there were also
ornaments and running borders Of oyaIs, each
incloslnRthe figure Of seated woman with
rosary in highlands; above all; therewefe lotus
flowers in profusion: To have carried away the
wall Just as II was was out OF the question.
The wal, ,itseli will last we'll enough. but the
plaster and the paintings peeled OF atthe least
touch. Mr.. Hedln. accordingly. copied the lat
ter. taking the dimensions, and noting down
the colofs. In digging on the outside OF
a wall he discovered a piece Of paper
written in what to him were unde-
cipherable characters, although many OF them
Were QulUe wei preserved, NehT Jno same Spot
he discovered q life-sized human foot. modelled
in gypsum. Like the paintings, it was executed
with unusual Refinement Of taste. and had
plainly belonged to an image OF Buddha. The
supposition OF tho native workmen that the
edihce is an old Buddhist temple is pronounced
not improbable In another building subse-
quently unearthed were found a number OF gyp-
sum figures in relief. each from four to eight
inches high. and fat at the back. showing that
they had served as wall decorations. They
represented images Of Buddha seated against
a background OF lotus leaves or q wreath
OF flames: women standing with one
hand outstretched and the other laid over
the breast. dressed in long. voluminous
NANTES, with hanging aleeves and open at the
neck. so as to show network. Tho faces were
nearly round. and the hair wns gathered up in
knot on the top OF the head. The ears were
very long. with hanging lobes. as in Buddhist
images at the present day. The eyes were
almond shaped and oblique. and at the back Of
the head was ring resembling halo. Other
figures represented women with bare breasts
holding bow-shaped garland over their heads.
In some OF the other houses were made different
discoveries For example. Mr.. Hedin lighted
upon q long piece of carved wooden cornice.
upon a silkworm chrysalis. upon the axle Of a
wheel which appeared to have belonRed:to a.
spinning wheel. upon fragments OF handles OF
earthenware pitchers. upon well-preseryed
wooden screw and upon porphyry milestone
more than ak feet In diameter which was of
course at one time driven by running water.
We should mention. further. that among the
sand dunes. which possess a certain power. OF
conserving organic matter. there were still
traces OF gardens. Truncated stems OF the
ordinary poplars still stood in rows marking
the direction OF ancient avenues. Nor were
indications wanting that here apricot and plum
trees had formerly lived and thrived
1t Is evident, then. that the walls OF this God
accursed city this second Sodom in the desert,
had been washed In ancient times by power
full river. the present Keriya-daria, and that its
houses and temples were watered by mum erous
artificial canals. Close to the city. and along
the banks of the great waterways. luxuriant
woods tossed their auivering leaves in the
breeze. az they still do beside the present bed
Of the Keriya-daria. and, in the hot summer
days. the leafy apricot trees gave cool shade to
the inhabitants. These streams were powerful
enough to make millstones revolve. silk was
cultivated and horticulture and the industries
fourished. The people who dwelt there mani
festly knew how to decorate their homes with
good taste and sense Of artistic fitness.
At what period was this mysterious city in
habited 2 When did its last crop Of russet april
cots npen in the sun2 When did the sour
green leaves OF It's poplarS yellow for their
last fall? When was the trickling hum of its
millwheels silenced foreverp When did its de-
spairing people finally abandon their dwellings,
to the ravenous NAV of the desert king? Who
were the people that dwelt there2 What was
the tongue they spoke? Whence came tho un-
known inhabitants Of this Tadmor in the
Mongolian Wilderness How long did their
city flourish, and whittier did its people go
when they saw that. within its walls, they
could no longer have a safe abiding place?
These are questions which Mr.. Hedin does not
attempt to answer definitely now but they
will be considered in the volumes which
hereafter will set forth. In more or less tech
nical language. the scientific results OF his ex-
pedition. We may say. however. that from the
rate Of drift OF the sand dunes to the southwest
our explorer calculates that the city Of sTakla-
makan was inferred about fifteen hundred
years ago He is also prepared to assert that
the inhabitants OF the town were Buddhists,
and of Aryan race The buried city is un-
doubtedly older than the Arab invasion led by
Kuteybeh Ibn Muslin in the beginning OF the
eighth century. It is also certain that such
highly developed artistic training as is evinced
in the pictures here described was never at
tainable among the Turki races that now in
habit eastern Turkestan. Those pictures must
have been painted by Aryans. that is to say. by
kinsmen OF the Greeks. N. VIII.
In tho Forbidden Land.