The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1915-06-26

N HIS travels through Asiatic
Russia, the land Of Cossack and
Kirghiz. Stephen Graham found
much OF interest, and in Country
Life he thus tells some Of his ex-
periences:
issued forth from Kopal on broad
moorland road, and after several
hours upland tramping came to the
Cossack village OF Arazan-a typical
willow-shaded settlement with irriga-
ton streamlets rushing along the
channels between the roadway and the
cottages. In the pleasant GOODNESS OF
five o'clock sunshine l passed out at
the other end Of the only street OF the
village and climbed up into the hills
beyond. turned neck In the noun
tains, descended by little green gorges
into strange valleys and climbed out
Of them to high ridges and cold. wind
swept heights. All about me grew
desolate and rugged. 1t was touching
to look back at the little collection
OF homes had left-the compact little
island OF trees In the ocean Of moor
land below me and behind me-and
to look forward to the pass where all
seemed dreadful and forbidding in
front OF me. In such view spread
my bed and slept
Next morning, with great difficulty
l collected roots and withered grass
enough to boil pot and make my
morning tea. While sitting there, the
large raindrops came, and they made
deep black spots in the dust Of the
road, the lightning flashed across my
knife, the thunLer rolled powders
about the mountains and l sped to a
cave to avoid drenching shower.
In a Celebrated District.
I was in a somewhat celebrated dis
trict. The Pass and Gorge of Abakum
are among the sights Of Seven Rivers
land and are visited by Russian holt
day-makers and picnickers. All the
rocks are scrawled with the names of
bygone visitors, and by that fact alone
you know the place has name and Is
accounted beautiful When the rain
ceased and ventured out of the cave
again | saw Russian at work writing
his name. He had stick dipped in
the pitch with which the axles of his
cart were oiled. and the wheels Of
the cart were nearly off for him to get
1t. For the first time saw how these
intensely black scrawls were written
on the rocks.
It was a pleasant noontide along
the narrow road between crumbling
indigo rocks and heaped debris. The
stony slopes were rain-washed. the
air fresh, and all along the way were
dwarf rose bushes, very thorny but
covered with scores Of bright yellow
blossoms on little red stems. The
Jagged highway climbed again high
up-to the sky. and gave me a vision
OF a new land, the vast dead plain
of Northern Semiretchie and of South
ern Siberia. Northward to the horizon
lay deserts. salt marshes and vast
lakes with uninhabited shores. with
cred moors and wilted lowlands.
. From that height, which was evil
ently the famous pass, descended
INTO the pretty gorge Of Abakum. The
road was steep and marrow. the cliffs
OH each side sheer. A little foaming
stream runs down from the cliffs, over
rubbish heaps of rocks, and accom-
panies the highways In an artificially
devised channel. A strange gateway
las been formed in thin partition
OF rock, and through this runs the
stream below and the telegraph wire
is a footway. but
carts are obliged to make a detour.
At this gateway l saw the first init
nation Of Siberia and a reflection OF
the American spirit Commercial trav.
elers had scrawled: BUY PROVOD-
NIX GALOSHES AT OMSK and
BUY INDIAN TEA AND GET RICH.
On the Road to sarkand.
It is q green and joyous road from
Abakum eastward to Sarkand, keep
ing to the mountain slopes and not
faring forth upon the scorched plain
that lies away northward. l did not
repent that the crossroads tempted
me to go eastward, hugging the noun
lains. Long green grass waved on