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

each side Of tho road, and In the
grass blue larkspur and immense yell
low hollyhocks. l was in the land
where the Kirghiz has his summer
pasture, and often came upon whole
clans that had Just pitched their tents.
1t was many-colored picture OF
camels, bulls and horses, OF sheep
swarming among children. OF kittens
playing with one anothers tails, OF
tents whose framework only was as
yet put up. OF heaps Of felt carpet
on the grass, OF old wooden chests
and antediluvian pots and jugs Of sag
ging leather lying promiscuously to-
gether while the new home was not
made. On this road the Chinese Jug
glers overlook me and camped very
near where I slept one night was
amused to see the old conjurer who
had juggled The steaming samovar out
Of thin air hunting mournfully for bits
OF wood and roots to make that same
samOvar boil in real earnest.
Next day l came to the village OF
Jaiman Terekti and its remarkable
scenery. The River Baskau flows be-
tween extraordinary banks, great bare
rocks all squared and architectural In
appearance giving the impression
immense ancient fortresses over the
stream. These squared and shelved
rocks are characteristic Of the country
side and the geological formations,
and they give much grandeur to what
otherwise are quiet corners.
Among the cossacks.
Lepsinsk is what the Russians call
medvezhy ugolok, bears corner, a
place where in winter the wolves
roam the main streets as II they did
not distinguish 1t from their peculiar
haunts. 1t Is by post road 945 miles
from Tashkent on the one hand ana
1,040 miles from Omsk on the other
roughly, 1000 miles from railway
station. It is high up on the noun
tains on the Monaghan frontier. and
lives a life OF its own-almost COM
pletely unaware OF what is happen
ing in Russia and In Europe-a win.
dow on to Mongolia, local wit has
called ia ground-glass window.
Lepsinsk Is q Cossack settlement.
All the young men are horsemen,
have to serve their term in war and
are liable to military service without
any exemption or exception. All Cos.
sack families and Cossack villages
are brought W on these terms. The
children ride bareback as soon as they
can walk and jump. The little boys
get their elder brothers uniforms
cut down to wear.
l spent many hours with the Cos
sacks in the Lepsa valley, calling at
cottages for food. A feckless folk you
would call them. by the sight Of their
homes. The women are very lazy and
60 to sleep after dinner, leaving all
the dirty dishes on the table for 60.-
900 flies to huster around.
Next day I went deep into the
desert, into q land Of snakes, eagles.
snipe and lizards. I got my MONDAY
meal OF koumiss In a Kirghiz yurt.
borrowed a horse with which to get
across the difficult fords. one Of black.
reed-grown mud, the other Of swift
flowing water. All day l plowed
through ankle-deep sand, and but for
the fact that the sun was obscured
by clouds l should have suffered much
from heat. A; 1t was, the dust and
sand-laden wind was very trying.
Early In the evening resolved 10 stop
for the day, and found shelter in one
Of twenty tents all pitched beside one
another in a pleasant green pasture
land which lay between two bends OF
the rivera yeritable oasis.
1t was a good resting place. An
old man spread for me carpets and
rugs and babe me sleep, and l lay
down for an hour. In the meantim,
tea was made for me from some chips
OF Monaghan brick tea. The old Kir-
ghiz took black block of this solidi-
fed tea dust and cut it with an old
razor.
After tea l went out and sat on a
mound among the cattle. and watched
the children drive in sheep and goats
and cows, and the wives milk them
all. 1t was . scene Of gayety and
beauty.