A Pretended Dervish in Turkestan, Parts I-III [pp. 198-215]

A Pretended Dervish in Turkestan.
prey, ten magnificent horses, into
the midst of the river, which they
crossed swimming. They landed immediately, and even Vamb6ry, in
spite of the contempt with which
these acts of pillage inspired him,
could not take his eyes from these
bold warriors, who, in their short
riding-habit, the chest covered with
their abundant curling hair, gaily laid
down their arms.
About noon the next day the traveller quitted Gomushtepe, and was escorted for a considerable distance by
Khandjan, who wished to fulfil
punctually all the duties of hospitality.
It was not without heartfelt regret
that he parted from this devoted host,
from whom he had received so many
marks of interest. The pilgrims
travelled toward the' north-east;
their road, which led them from the
coast, was bordered by many mounds
raised by the Turkomen in memory of
their illustrious dead. When a warrior dies, every man of his tribe is
bound to throw at least seven shovelsful of earth upon his grave. So
these mausoleums often appear like
little hills. This custom must be
very ancient among the Asiatics;
the Huns brought it into Europe, and
we find traces of it to-day in Hungary. Half a league from Gomushtepe the little caravan reached magnificent prairies, the herbage of which,
knee-high, exhaled a delicious fragrance. But these blessings of nature are thrown away upon the Turkomen, who, wholly occupied in
robbery and pillage, never dream of
enriching themselves by peaceful pastoral occupations. "Alas!" thought
our European, "what charming villages might shelter themselves in this
fertile and beautiful country. When
will the busy hum of life replace the
silence of death which broods over
these regions?"
Approaching Etrek, the landscape
suddenly changes. This lonely verdure is exchanged for the salt lands
of the desert, whose rank odor and
repulsive appearance seem to warn
the traveller of the sufferings which
await him in these immense solitudes.
Little by little Vamb6ry felt the
ground become soft under foot; his
camel slipped, buried himself at each
step, and gave such evident signs of
intending to throw him in the mud,
that he thought it prudent to dismount
without waiting for a more pressing
invitation. After tramping an hour
and a half in the mire the pilgrims
reached Kara Sengher (black wall),
where rose the tent of their host,
Kulkhan-lb-Pir. The district of
Etrek is, to the populations of
Mazendran and Taberistan, a byword of terror and malediction.
"May you be carried to Etrek,"
is the most terrible imprecation which
fury can extort from a Persian. One
cannot pass before the tents of the Turkomen of Etrek without seeing the
unhappy Iranian slaves, wasted by
fatigue and privations, and bent under the weight of their chains. But
the nomad tribes of Tartary offer a
singular mixture of vice and virtue,
of justice and lawlessness, of benevolence and cruelty. Vambdry, in his
character of dervish, made frequent
visits among the Tartars. HIe always
returned loaded with presents and
penetrated with gratitude for their
charitable hospitality. To this sentiment succeeded a profound horror at
the barbarous treatment inflicted upon
their slaves. At Gomushtbpe such a
spectacle had already revolted him;
and yet this city, compared to Etrek,
might be considered the Ultima Thule
of humanity and civilization.
One day, returning to his dwelling,
Vambiry met one of the slaves of
Kulkhan. who, in a piteous tone,
begged him to give him to drink.
This unfortunate being had labored
ever since morning in a field of melons, exposed to the heat of a burning
sun, without any other food than salt
fish, and without a drop of water to
quench his thirst. The sight of this
poor sufferer, and of the tears which
ran down over his thick black beard,
made Vambtry forget the danger
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