Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-01-19
CHAPTER x

chinks, stretches a wide
N&NA0QbN plain, planted here and
VSNScfSSSI there with great trees,
principally pines and ce-
OARS. There's stood the Tartar tents. There
FeofarKhan, the terrible emir Of Box
hara, was encamped and there on the
following day, the 7th of August, were
brought the prisoners taken at Kaly-
van after the humiliation of the Rus
sian force, which had vainly attempted
to oppose the progress Of the invaders.
Of the 1000 men who had engaged
with the two columns Of the enemy,
the bases OF which rested on Tomsk
and Omsk, only few hundred re-
manned. Thus events were going bad
ly, and the imperial government APP
peared TO have lost it's power beyond
the frontiers OF the Ural, for time at
least, Tor the Russians could not fail
eventually to defeat the savage hordes
OF the invaders. But in the meantime
the invasion had reached the center of
Siberia, and 1t was spreading through
the revolted country both TO the east
ern and the western provinces. If the
troops OF the Amur and the province
OF Takutsk did not arrive in time to
occupy IT, this capital OF Asiatic Rus
sia, being insutficiently garrisoned,
would fall into the hands OF the Tar
tars, and before II could be retaken the
grand duke. brother Of the emperor.
would be sacrificed to the vengeance OF
Ivan Ogareff.
Feofar's camp presented a magnifi-
cent spectacle Numberless tents Of
skin or silk glistened in the rays Of
the sun. The lofty plumes which sur
mounted their conical tops waved amid
banners, flags and pennons of every
color. The richest of these tents be-
longed to the Seides and Khodjas, who
are the principal personages OF the
khanate. A special pavilion, ornament
ed with a horses tail issuing from a
sheaf OF red and white sticks artistical-
~ interlaced, indicated the high rank
OF these Tartar chiefs. Then in the
distance rose several thousand OF the
Turcoman tents. which had been car
ried on the backs OF camels.
The camp contained at least a hun
dred and fifty thousand soldiers, as
many foot as horse soldiers, collected
under the name OF Alamanes. Among
them and as the principal types Of Tur'
kestan would have been remarked the
Tadjlks from their regular features
white skin. tall forms and black eyes
and hair. They formed the bulk of the
Tartar army. and OF them the khanates
OF Khokhand and Koundough had fur
nished a contingent nearly equal &c
that OF Bokhara. With the Tadjiks
were mingled specimens Of different
races who either reside In TurkestaI
or whose native countries border on Ii
There were Usbecks, red bearded, small
In stature, similar to those who haC
pursued Michael. Here were Kirghis
with nat faces like the Kalmucks
dressed In coats Of mail Some car
Tied the lance, bows and arrows Of Ash
attic manufacture, some the saber, Z
matchbox gun and a little short han
died AZ, the wounds from which inva
riably prove fatal. There were Mon
gols, OF middle height, with black hal
plated into pigtails, which hung dow
their backs, round faces, swarthy com
plexions, lively deep set eyes, scant.
boards, dressed in blue nankeen trim
med with black plush, sword belts o
leather with silver buckles, boots gayl,
braided and silk caps edged with fu
and three ribbons nuttering behind
Brown skinned Afghans, too nigh
have been seen. Arabs, having tn
primitive type OF the beautiful semiti
races. and Turcomans. with eyes whic
looked as IL they had lost the pupil-al
enrolled under the emir's Dag. the ia
OF incendiaries and devastators.
When the prisoners were brought Int
the camp. the emir was in his tent. II
did not show himself. This was for
tunate no doubt. A sign. a word. fror
him might have been the signal 10
some bloody execution. But he iI
trenched himself In that isolatio
which constitutes In part the majest
OF eastern kings. He who does nc