File:Oriental and western Siberia- a narrative of seven years' explorations and adventures in Siberia, Mongolia the Kirghis steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of Central Asia (1858) (14578500780).jpg

Identifier: orientalwesterns00atki (find matches)
Title: Oriental and western Siberia: a narrative of seven years' explorations and adventures in Siberia, Mongolia the Kirghis steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of Central Asia
Year: 1858 (1850s)
Authors: Atkinson, Thomas Witlam, 1799-1861
Subjects: Kyrgyz
Publisher: London : Hurst and Blackett
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
water is carried off by evaporation. Insummer it is intensely hot — we had 45° on the sandySteppe, extending along the south shore. Baron Humboldt has stated that a volcano exists on anisland in the Ala-kool,—so the Baron had been informed byTartar merchants who cross the Steppe with the caravans.But no volcano has ever been in action in this region ; theone nearest to this place, is that shown on my map in theGobi Desert, and Pe-shan in the Syan-shan. In all mywanderings in the Karatou, Alatou, and Actou, I did notdiscover one crater. We now turned toward the west, in search of the aoul ofSultan Beck—the largest man and most wealthy Kirghis inthe Steppes. He has ten thousand horses, and camels, oxen,and sheep, in proportion to this vast herd. It was late inthe evening when we found him : perhaps we disturbed hisskunbers, and by so doing ruffled his temper, as he wasexceedingly uncivil, and sent us a sheep that was diseased.This was quickly returned to him with my compliments,
Text Appearing After Image:
SULTAN BECK. 563 and a message stating that we did not eat such food, nordid we require anything from him. I desired the Cossackto say that he was the first Sultan who had l^ehaved soungentlemanly towards me, and that, notwithstanding hislarge body, he had the heart of a mouse. This roused himinto a fury, and he ordered us aw\ay, threatening that ifwe did not move instantly, his men should drive us intothe lake. The Cossack replied, that if either he or anyof his men came near our camp, we would shoot them ;which having said he left the yourt^ and told us whathad passed. It was not long before we perceived two girlscoming towards us leading a sheep, which the Sultan hadsent, begging me to accept it as it was one of the best in hisflock : they assured me that he wished to pay me a visit,had offered to let me stay as long as I liked, and hadpromised to give me men and horses when I left. His mutton having been accej)ted, and a messagereturned, saying I should be glad to receive him, it

Note About Images