Middletown transcript., 1917-09-08

SCENES IN SC
! "ICKED away in southern Siberia
| against the Mongolian boundary
| is little corner of land where
perhaps more customs curious
! may be found than anywhere, else in
! Asia, and that is saying a great deal.
1t is a country not easy to, get into.
From KrasnoiarSk, station On the
Trans-Sberian railway, there is river
trip of two days up the Yenisei to
NIinuSinsk, which is city of some pre-
tentions, about 100000 in population,
and in many ways not unlike hust-
ling American city passing through its
boom period. From Mi husnsk there
is 72-mile stretch covered by wagon
road in the curious Russian wagon
called taliega, then there is 120 miles
by trail over the mountains and then
another 1876 miles by wagon road
again.
For crossing the river ferry is
used most surprising to the traveller on
One may come up to a river and hail
the ferryman on the other side. Imme-
diately a boat puts cut driven by
splashing paddle wheels of which the
motive power is at first puzzle: there
is no smoke or steam and no gasoline
popping. When The craft comes near
cr. the secret is revealed. Three horses
on Il raised PLATFORM pull around a
sweep attached to Il vertical shaft
which is itself geared to Il horizontal
Shaft and drives the paddles.
Home of the soyctes.
The native inhabitants Of the OK
lrrme border region are Il most inter-
csting people. They call themselves
Tubanulus, the ChiTaSe call them Urin-
Xii and the Russians Soyotes.
The strip they inhabit was for many
years Il ''no-man'S land" its owner
ship being in dispute between Russia
and Mongolia. It is Il beautiful we'll
wat"red mountain country, rich in
NtSttdtlpli dlli III SdlHt, lHCliulilS
many fur-bearns animals. Recently
Russia established her claim to the
country. The SoyoteS are therefore
now Il Russian people. They are no.
mahic by nature, living in sheltered
mountain passes in winter. on noun
tain terraces in SUMMER and in the
broad valleys in spring and fall. They
migrate thus to get pasturage for
their herds and floclls.
Some among them are cattle breed
erS; such live in tents, round like
cheese, 10 to - feet in diameter, made
of felt an inch thick mounted on a
lattice framework. Others are rein
deer breeders who live in conical huts
made like an American wikiup of birch
bark and skins. Men and women
dress in the same way, cloaks and
brceches. made of furs and sheep skins
in winter, and of cotton and Chinese
silk in summer. They are fond of
bright colors and are picturesque in
their pointed hats and long flowing
cloaks. They are fine riders, have ex-
ccllpnt horses and train and take good
care of them. But horse stealing is a
virtue among them. Therefore the
Russians on the principle of "set a
thief to catch Il thief" employ them as
cowboys and shepherds.
All Thieves and Liars.
They are a quiet people, submissive
to authority, kind to their wives, but
thieves and liars all. and until recent
ly practiced torturing as form of
punishment. including such pleasant
practices as buryng alive and freezing
Off the hands and feet. while ideas of
morality are not highly developed
among them. When cid is born. it
is named after the first object seen by
the woman after its birth. The results |
are both comical and poetic. The So |
votes pay their taxes in the form of |!
peltS of squirrel, sable, fox, mink, mar i
ten. etc.
The Russian peasants here. not the |
Soyotes. carry on Il kind of farming. |
probably the queereSt IN the world I
elk raising 1t seems that the Chinese
who still cling to the medieval system |
of medicine which is mostly supersti-
ton and not altogether unlike witch
craft. prize nothing more for their pre-
Scriptions than the ho"n of the elk in
the velvet. They send agents all over
Siberia to buy this commodity, and
since elk are getting scarce, the price
is going up and the canny peasants
see chances for big profits in raising