Evening star., 1938-09-04

1utaNS. AfteyIldl.
OF the word "inspirational," but she
feels that it can, in justice, be applied
to this work
ALONE THROUGH THE FORBID
DEN LAND. BY Gustav Krist.
Translated by E. o. Lorimer New
York: Harcourt, Brace a. Co.
THIS is a record of travels through
Central Asia in l924-25 The au-
thor, recently deceased, was an Aus
trian, and his book has already been
published in his own country. During
the World War he fought in the Aus
trian Army in the region of which he
now writes; he was taken prisoner
by the Russians and was held in camp
in this same territory; he made sew
eral efforts to escape and in the course
of them wandered about considerably
over the Central, Asian terrain. After
the war, unable to find employment
in his own country, he went back to
the Near East to explore the land
where he had suffered such hardships.
He found that the frontiers were
by that time. as he puts it, 'hermet-
ically sealed; Soviet Russia had taken
over the old independent realms of
Bukhara. Afghanistan and Khiwa and
had absolutely forbidden any foreigner
to enter. Quite undismayed, he bor-
roWed papers from a one-time fellow
prisoner who. after the war, had re-
manned in the new Russian territory
and accepted Russian citizenship, and,
thus falsely certified as a "comrade,"
set out on his wanderiags. His dis
guise, If penetrated. would have
brought his immediate death before
Soviet firing squad. but, if one reads
the implications Of the book correctly,
this knowledge only made his enjoy
ment Of his adventure the keener.
The country through which Herr
krist wandered is, as he tells us, one
OF the least known in the world. AS
readers Of these columns must know,
the reviewer is seldom impressed by
that statement in a travel writer's
book; she has come across 1t too often.
But Herr Krist gives us here a list of
explorers who, from the 18th century
on, have made any considerable In
vestigation Of Central Asia and lived
to write the account Of their findings.
and the number is amazingly small.
For, up until the end of the World
War, there seems to have been
general agreement by all rulers con-
cerned to keep out foreigners. In
this authors words, 80 the rivals.
Britain and Russia. would inform the
amirs Qocal chiefs) In time of the
plucky adventurers' intentions, and
they were either detected and turned
back at the frontiers or taken prison.
ers to the capital. whence they were
repatriated, after lengthy negotiations.
in return for heavy ransom-with-
out having been allowed to see any
thing of Bukhara ITSELF"
THIS system prevailed because both
England and Russia had q strong
interest in preventing any power from
getting foothold in territory which
led alike to India and the Dardanelles.
The isolation which was being en-
forced at the time Of Herr Krist's
visit had its root in the Soviet gov
ernment's wish to conceal from gen.
eral knowledge the methods which
1t employed to convert" the free and
independent peoples of the region to
communism. These methods had not
then produced any great change, but
the book assures us that it would be
only a matter OF time before the
hardy, courageous nomad life of the
native Islamic peoples would be de.
stroyed by the ruthless regimentation
OF their Russian overlords. The book
therefore, has historic significance.
Herr Krist saw the doomed nomad
life at first hand. He lived with the
tribes as well-liked guest, he journeyed
with caravans, with small native groups
and alone; he went into towns, villages
and cities, he crossed deserts and
clambered up mountains we'll beyond
the snow line. Once the natives were
sure that he was no Bolshevik-and
once the officials were sure that he
was one-he had no trouble in gaining
confidence. Stories of irresistible
plcturesqueness flll his pages-the first
hand account Of the assassination of
Enver Pasha given him by the mur-
derer. the story of the inn keeper who
killed and robbed 400 guests by means
of schnapps tinctured with tarantula
venom. the sight Of the last descendant
OF Tamerlane, the visit to the grave
OF the prophet Daniel-such romantic
tales and descriptions are common
place in the book Photographs bear
out we'll the adventurous story, and
also demonstrate the interest which
the author had in the implements of
the nomad life, for they show carts,
wagons, weapons and tents with great
detail.
The reviewer can best sum up the
work by saying that she took it In
hand with the usual reservations
which she holds toward travel books.
And that she then read it all. She
cannot. of course. vouch for its
authenticity. but she can for its enter
tanning quality.
MAINE BALLADS. BY Robert p.
Tristram Cof1n. New York: The
Macmillan Co.
THIS is collection of poems in, as
the author puts it, folk design"
That is to say, they are plainly sung
narratives Of small happenings among
a people greatly conditioned by its en-
vironment, and portraits of men and
women from among this people. The
scene is the coast of Maine. The peo-
pie are the modern descendants of
the families Of the great sailing days.
The poems turn on the ghostly, on
love affairs, on homely adventures,
and on humor The level of the work
is excellent. The collection is one to
be had. 1t is hard to pick favorites
fprSSa Us,nta t>s.k 81