CO129-362 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 177

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land from being settled and cultivated, because, being good land, he wants to keep it for Hunanese, his own folk.

For

Leaving in a south-south-westerly direction we reached the mountains after some 6 miles and kept south-west under their lee down hills and up again by a difficult cart road, the mule between the shafts being obliged to slide down the hills and to back at the same time like grim death. At mile 6 at a small stream we came across a large Hassack camp of thirty tents called Chanaga. These nomads pay 25 taels and 5 taels a rich and poor tent respectively a year to the Government of Chuguchak. Five and a-half more miles over hill and dale brought us into the elbow of the mountains to the picket of Yamatu. We here turned south-west through the Djaiir range. half the ascent of the pass the road is stony and until it nears the top the pass is not more than 100 yards wide and at times only 20 yards. A small stream flows down. At first rugged and inaccessible the hill becomes more gentle as we ascend and becomes almost covered with rough pasturage.

We passed two camps on the way up each consisting of only two Hassack tents. Reaching the top of the steep part of the pass at mile ō we kept over an easy slope between gentle hills to mile 7: here we reached the summit and began to descend rapidly, the hills maintaining their pasturage covered appearance and the road its excellence. We reached the picket Kweitonin at mile 101 after a total day of 23 miles. The rest-house was worse than usual; it even struck the Chinese as bad. There are only three soldiers kept here. The man at the inn receives 8 taels and 40 cents per month for looking after the telegraph line. are among nice neighbours to-night for the inn-keeper told us a gruesome story of how one of the picket was murdered last year by a Hassack from whom he wanted to buy. pony. The murder was followed two days later by a raid of seven or eight Hassacks who carried off eight oxen belonging to the owner who complained to Ili. The Chinese authorities there are so scared of the Hassacks that they refused to believe him; they were, however, forced to believe in the murder and the man was caught and

put in prison at Ili.

October 8.Continuing down the pass by a good easy road we halted after 13 miles at the picket of Mianerrhkou. 12 miles later we were abreast of the picket of Shihlacha. It was not visible from the main road but the carters said it was a quarter of a mile to the west in the fold of the hills. Keeping along the main road we reached at mile 243 the station of Hansantai which is out of the mountains and practically on the plain. From Shihlacha onwards we were in the Government of Shibu.

We

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The Russian Consul-General was in camp at Hansantai en route for Urumtsi. October 9.-Keeping down the smooth gravel slopes of the foothills in a south- south-easterly direction we reached the plain after 9 miles. The main range is almost hidden from view by these gravel slopes. From now on travelling became difficult because of the sandy nature of the track and the salt which exuded everywhere from the ground, and which rendered the road so crisp that the mules could only get forward with great difficulty. We kept over a dead plain plentifully sprinkled with low tamarisks and other scrub. At mile 14 we reached the picket of Hsiao tsou bo,

Before we resumed the march the Consular party arrived with their travelling escort, but they went to another farm, where they halted for the day. One of the Cossacks came over to our farm and asked impertinent questions as to where we had come from, &c. While in camp three carts arrived from Ili, carrying specie to Chuguchak for the Government. The men in charge, like true Chinese, made no secret of what they were carrying, so that the whole inn yard knew, besides which the small flag betrayed that they were on Government service; thus, if ever carts are raided en route, it will be the fault of the Chinese themselves.

Juns en route get no pay from the Government; only the soldiers do, who also perform picket work. They can live in the inn or where they please.

Continuing to the south-south-east over the plain, we reached a belt of trees at mile 8, tamarisks, birches, willows, and kept among them till mile 10; they were a welcome change as regards the view, but as they harboured myriads of mosquitoes, who harassed us for the rest of the day, they were not so agreeable. Turning more fully south, we reached at mile 13 the old station of Churpaidsze, and at mile 16 two or three inns under some fine trees, the new station of the same name.

The name

"cart-shelter" is really too modest a one for quite a fair inn with clean mud roonis. Our inn was kept by a Kashgari, who resented being termed "Hassack,” and said angrily that there were none of those folk here.

October 10. This Kashgari pays & taels a-year to the Government of Shibu. They get their land free when they come to settle.

We left in a southerly direction, and at once crossed a cutting 15 feet deep and

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30 feet wide by a good bridge. There was water in the cutting, but not deep, as cattle were standing in it, nor did there seem to be any flow. It lay east and west. During the morning we crossed other shallower cuttings completely dry. Keeping through low jungle we reached Totai at mile 14, where the innkeeper is a Lanchow mau; he only pays 3 taels a-year as tax. At mile 2 we passed a farm, and crossed some pools of water later by a small bridge. Here we found a heavily-laden cart, which had tried to cross not by the bridge, so badly bogged that the carters did not think they would be able to proceed till the morrow, Soon after this the road turned south-west and ran over desert ground. At mile 12 we reached Old Shihu, a collection of ruins lying among trees, and from now on occasional ruins, groups of trees, or farms were passed. The country, too, is swampy in places, and twice the road is obliged to cross these by low wretched bridges. We reached New Shihu at mile 20, and put up at an excellent inn ; the rooms, it is true, were bare as usual, but they were light and airy.

The Borokhoro range, towards which we have been marching since we emerged from the Djaiir Shau, have been persistently veiled in mist.

sun.

October 11.-The trading portion of Shihu or Kurkaraussu consists of one long street closed by light wooden gates. The Turki and Chinese shops are side by side. The street is covered for the most part with pengs, which entirely protect it from the South of this quarter lies the usual kind of walled town, a striking contrast by its lifelessness to the bustling life of the trading quarter. The walls are some quarter of a mile square, 30 feet high. The town is surrounded by a dry moat, crossed by good wooden bridges at the four gates, which are of the usual Chinese double pattern. The east and west gates are kept permanently closed; the others have heavy wooden doors faced with iron. Inside the walls are scattered buildings and temples, but there is a good deal of vacant space. Here all the Chinese authorities and the soldiers live.

The Chinese shops in the trading quarter sell the usual commodities. There are great quantities of fox-skins at 3 taels a-piece, as against 5 in Urga; leopard-skius at 15 taels a-piece; deer-skins, goat- and sheep-skins. Black foxes were unobtainable, and are said to be so rare that the price would be at least 20 taels (4 in Urga). Trade is said to be exceedingly poor. Melons are extremely cheap-10 cents a large one, 2 for a small one. Vegetables are plentiful and cheap. Only the Turki shops sell Russian stuffs. Excellent wood comes into the town from the mountains for building purposes, and there is an abundance of brushwood for firing.

The day began badly by my thermometer being stolen from outside my room. The inn man detained all carts in the yard, and a great fuss was made searching them. Some confusion resulted, during which a small police official arrived with the Governor's card and compliments. He was very angry about the theft, and made the confusion worse. He eventually reported the matter to the Governor, who sent me a new Chinese thermometer which I had to refuse. I felt, however, compelled to reconsider my decision not to call on the chief authority of the town.

I begged the police official to hire fresh carts for our party for the rest of the journey to Ili. The price for these varies enormously, according to the number there may be in the town, and the carters, before naming a price, go the round of the imns to see how many carts there are and whether they can raise the price or not,

Each

I visited the soldiers in the afternoon. There are 100 of these, Hunan braves of the old type. Their uniform is a blue jacket with red edgings and facings. They are infantry. They sleep six to a small house, each having a neat mud bed place, with some felt and a rug. Their quarters seemed clean, confortable, airy, and warm. man gets 3 t. 60 c. a-month, but has to find everything himself; a corporal gets between 4 and 5 taels. They are commanded by a colonel. The barracks are under the East Wall, in the north-east corner of the city. I only saw two or three men; the rest were said to be out on their own business. Those I spoke to said they were all Hunanese, and came direct from Hunan. They gave their ages as about 35, but looked older, There was a target in the yard 6 by 5 feet, which they said was taken out to the country twice a-year, spring and autumn, for a little practice. One man said they had a big gun in the yamén which was fired at sunset, and this we heard a little later in the day.

The police officer said there were also 100 cavalry outside the town and 30 inside. I think he meant that the 100 are divided among the stages along the road and do escort work. He said the Hassacks were getting very troublesome. Quite recently a band raided Hansantai and carried off a number of Government horses belonging to the picket there.

October 12.-I called on the Governor, a Mauchu named Kwei Yü, aged 47;

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