Year: 1873

|. rying TO regain the road In hopes Of reaching


Aiti KO0do0k; but We were obliged at last 10 give
up all hopes OF reaching II that day. The feeble
horses, although we had stopped co feed them
several times, could go no farther, 80 we decided
at last 60 camp. The poor beasts had to go with
out water tonight for 1t would have been
impossible ocarry enough water with us, even II


we had Ioreseen the mpossIbiity OF getting water
| at Adam Koorulgan. We gave them feed Of our
! hard. black, dried bread. hobbed them and let
! them loose on the desert TO pick up what they
| could. could never cease admiring my own
| little saddle horse He had been now 25
! days in the desert, he had carried me che whole
| distance from Fort Perovsky sometimes as much
| as 60 miles day More than half OF the time h0


had nothing to except what he could pick up In
the DESERT and yet he had scarcely lost pound OF
nesh. He would go the whole day, from sunrise 70


sunset in the easy little trot OF the Krgheez horses,
| and In the evening would break into gallop as
lightly as though he were fresh from the pastures


ofthe Sir Derya. He was pure -blooded Kirgheez,


light sorrel nearly the color of the sand head ears.
| eyes and limbs exactly like an Arab, but the neck
| and body shorter and heavier. 1t was never
! necessary 10 tether him, as he never wandered
| away. He swum the Amoo, and proved TO be
| equally at home In the gardens OF Khiya as In
| the DESERT never hesitating, when necessary, to
| take a ditch canal. He even carried me over
| the Pulvan-ata the largest canal in the khanate,
on plank six inches Wide. He was ut last stolen
| from me by some OF the liberated Persian slaves.
| Now the poor beast was crazy for water, as were
| the Others and refused to touch the black bread
offered him.


As TO ourselves. we Jared no better than our
horses. We were too thirsty TO eat OF the black
bread, even If our teeth had been capable OF
making an impression on 1t without its first
having been soaked in water. After the long
days ride my thirst was intoerable and my
wearlncss, the uncertainty OF situation. the
difficulty OF nnding the well we were in search OF,
the possibility OF missing 1t altogether, the con-
dition OF my horses, two more OF which began to
show signs of extreme fatigue that told me plainly
enough they would not go more than another day;
the possibility of being obliged to drag on wcarily


to the Oxus on foot. dying OF thirst, only TO fall


into the hands Of the Turc0mans, perhaps, at last
the darkness that settled down over like pail
making the stiffness or the desert more fearinspir
ing, and the occasional cry OF bird or an insect
nearer and more startling-al combined to mako


this the gloomiest night of my whole life.
WATER


The next morning we were in the saddle at day


light, and after two hours ride over continual


succession sand ridges running north and south,





as we advanced, our eyes at last caught by


the glistening of two bayonets in the sun


shine. apparently the very horizons


edge. and in a quarter OF an hour we


made out the forms OF two pickets, posted


on a sand hill watching our approach. Urging


forward our jaded horses we gained the little en-


inence from which the pickets were keeping their


drcary lookout. and beheld the camp OF Alti Zoo


dOok spread out before US, the sandiest, dreariest


spot have ever seen, not excepting Adam Koorui-


gan itself. There, there was some vegetation, how


ever scanty and rare here there was none. abso-


utely none not even a blade OF the brown desert
grass nor a twig of the hardy s0kS-1p0l-nOthlng
but the pure clean sand, scooped out in hol0ws,
and heaped up in low mounds and ridges by the
wind.


First broad shallow basin. in which were three
or four wells. and in which was piled o quantity OF
forage and baggage that kaufman had been
obliged to leave behind Tor want or means OF trans
port; then low ridge with two brass pieces six
pounders) peering over it, and beyond another


little hollow, in which were pitched the tents OF
the two companies OF soldiers left here by KauE
mann. Further on, as far as the eye could reach,
more sand heaped and piled up, rolling or In every
direction in low mounds and ridges, with here and


there Ia the distance on higher spot, a picket


keeping his dreary watch In the hot sunshine. Not


leaf nor sign OF vegetation anywhere. 1t was
here that Kaufman passed the most critical period
OF the whole campaign-a week during which
everybody despaired Of success.


AS afterwards related to me by Kaufman him
SELF, they had started from Adam Koorulgan on the
nth OF May, with three days supply of water, suf-
fclent as they supposed to reach the Oxus,
although the exact distance unknown.


The advance guard made the morning halt as
usual, about eight O'Clock, having marched about
Is miles. According to the order OF march
usually followed, the guard should have ar
rived at ten. when the whole army would halt
until three or four in the afternoon when the heat
should be some what abated, before making the
afternoon march. Instead of this, however the
guard only arrived at ten O'Clock at ninht.
owing to the extreme weakness of the camels, en-
feebled by their long march from Gizzak Many or
them had been lett on the way, and their loads
had been transferred to the. others, which were
thus oyerburdened. Upon examination 1t was
found that nearly the entire supply OF
water had been exhausted, aud thus the
whole aspect OF affairs had been changed in
single day. The utter mpossbiity OF proceed
ing without more water through an unknown
desert-a distance which might indeed be only 30
miles, but which might also be 100, for anything
they knew to the contrary-was only too evident
single retrograde movement might be the signal
for the rising ofthe whole Central Asian population
aud the impossibility ofstayng where they and
sending back for more water too apparent to
be discussed Tor a moment. They could not ad-
vance-they could not stay where they were-and
they dare not retreat Their position in single
day had become not only dangerous, but desperate


DESPAIR IN THE COMMANDERS CoUNsELs


General Kaufman passed through one of those
moments OF despair which every general who has
ever commanded an army has experienced at least
once IN his life. Hope there none and GEN
era Kaufman was on the very verge OF similar
disaster TO that which, unknown to him, had over
taken General MarkosoT only lew days before in
the Turcoman desert on the other side OF the Am0o
Derya lie was saved by one OF those trivial cir
which often intervene in the most un-