Identifier: ruinsofdesertcat01stei (find matches)
Title: Ruins of desert Cathay : personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Stein, Aurel, Sir, 1862-1943 Archaeological Survey of India
Subjects:
Publisher: London : Macmillan
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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stuj and a cousin of theChitral chief, awaited me in person with two youthful sons(Fig. 18). Though close on eighty years, the portlywhite-haired chief seemed still full of vigour and genuineenjoyment of life and its pleasures. He had loyally stoodby the British side when the Chitralis and Umra KhansPathans invested Mastuj Fort, and the staunchness hethen showed as governor has secured for him practicalindependence from Chitral. His straightforward, simpleways, full of old-fashioned courtesy withal, have made hima favourite with all European officers in Chitral. He insisted now on conducting me to my tent, pitchedin one of the few modest groves of fruit-trees of whichMastuj can boast. On the lawn around the hardy smallkind of iris which has become my old friend from Kashmirand the Turkestan valleys, raised its delicately scentedpale blue flowers in plenty. White plum blossoms, too,strewed the ground. Glad was I for the peace andseclusion of my little orchard, with abundance of work to
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AN OLD-WORLD INTERIOR 47 be done during my single days halt. The advantages ofthe last telegraph office I was to see for a long time werenot to be lightly forsaken ; for by its use I could sendnews and instructions to far-away Europe with a saving ofnearly two weeks. It is at the last outposts of Indiancivilization that one appreciates most the boon of * post-registered telegrams via Bombay — and the generalcheapness of the Indian telegraph system. From Mastuj I sent ahead two of the Wakhis fromSarhad to announce my approaching arrival on the Oxus.I myself, still escorted by the attentive Khan Sahib, set outon the morning of May 13th for the journey northward.The Yarkhun Valley, so difficult during the summer monthswhen the melting snows render the route by the river-bedquite impracticable, proved owing to the early season stilleasy in its nearest portion. A double march that first daybrought me past barren rocky slopes, descending fromranges with a crest-line of about 17,000 feet,

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