Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1910-08-22

two and three miles wide, though In
summer. when more swollen by tho
melted SHOWS of the Hindu Kush and
the Pamir, the inundated surface some
times extends five miles In the au.
tumn and winter. when the waters
have shrunk. the channel Is confined
within Its two banks and is then from
half a mile TO mile IN width, flowing
with rapid current of most irregular
depth over snii'ng and sandy bot
tom. Mud banks, covered with ooze or
sand. show where the current ha. only
recently subsidized. stu, however, did
it merit the title, The Great Oxus
Steam. the Yellow Oxua.' The color
of the water Is a very dirty coffee
hued brown. the facsimile OF that %
the Nile. but 1t Is extremely healthy
and can be drunk with lmpunity
was strongly reminded by the appear
ance OF this great river. by the for.
nation of It's bed. by the structure of
It's banks, and by the scenery and life
which they displayed. OF many land-
scape on the Nile in upper Egyps.
There Is the same fringe OF intensely
fertile soil along its shores. with the
same crouching clay built villages, and
even Bokharan counterpart to the
Sakklyeh and Shadoof for raising and
distributing the life-giving waters OF
the stream. Only. on the Oxus. there
Is no cliff like the eastern wall of
the Nile at Gebei- El-Tayr. and alas. In
this northern latitude there Is no oelt
of coroneted palms."
| The ruins of a big mud fortress
called Koushid Khan Kala, which the
Turcomans were building to hold back
the Russian invasion when the mas.
sacre of Geok-Tepe ended all resist
ance, stands alongside the railway
track as a mute but convincing wit.
ness OF the superiority of live civili-
cation over dead one. As an object
lesson to the natives, 1t has been OF
great effect. because they believed
their fortress to be impregnable. And
to make 1t more forceful. the railway
engineers cut off n corner of the fort
| ress to make room for sidetrack.
The fortress was erected in 1891 by
the forced labor OF 5000 Tekkes, MEM
Ders OF tribe or Furcomans, and the
| mud walls, which are between thirty
and forty feet high, sixty feet thick
at the base and twenty feet thick at
| the top, inclose a space nearly one
ihiie square In striking contrast TO
the lmpoteht mud walls are Few neat
| iy compact batteries OF Russian artil.
iery' nan concealed by trees.
Inc RUSSIAN government mas plant
ed more than 3.00o,ooo trees In the
merry OASIS mostly poplars. mulberries
ana iocusts' fhe muiberrles iced the
SILK worms, the popiars make the best
roof poles Tor the matched cabins OF
the hatiVes' ana the iocusts perfume
the atmosphere with honeyed odor.
Inc merry Oasis mas the most iertiie
SOL ana the uehsesl population Oh the
several cultivated areas In IurRestan.
ne Moorghup' as Matthew Arhoiu
Calls IT, gives NE 10 ABOUT io'ooo
square miles OF farms, tiiled by ABOUT
| III
quantities OF COTTON. wheat, rye, par
iey' sorshuh' rice' iheiohs' Vesetapies
Oh all KINDS grapes Derrles' peaches'
| apricots ana other orchard irhits. MIL
mons OF cattle ana sheep drink from
tne ta~hy stream; huhareds oil thou-
SANDS OF cameis are pred on the prai-
RES the Nerve horses are the pest III
Cehtrai ASIA ana wheh the hussiahs
iiis. oocupieu 'he 'ahu tney se'ious'y
discussed the pohcy OF making inc
MerVi.es SURRENDER .heif hofses' az
they had SURRENDERED their guns NO
hatiVe is aiiowed 10 nave riiie or
revolver unless ne belongs 10 the MI
htia' nut all are permitted 10 wear
.leir ancient dassers' "hich are az
iuuch part OF their naive costume as
their poots or theif shirts'
There Is faiIway south from merry
10 hushK ana brahch 10 Mafuchak'
both uhimportaht Towns, upon the Dor
derS OF AfghanlStan, Dut the TRAINS