Archanurik: переводы

→Although disappointed with this visit, I felt a great desire to explore the country to the east of Nor-Zaisan. I could see the misty outlines of mountains, but at a very great distance, besides which I was determined to follow the Irtisch to its source. This river is the principal supply and only outlet of Nor-Zaisan. It was far too late to think of visiting the Tchornie-Irtisch this year, nor could it possibly be done from this place. Under these cir cumstances, desiring to retrace my steps to Koch-bouchta without delay, we rode back to Kliee, the aoul of my host, and started on our return after drinking tea. He sent eleven of his own Kirghis to accompany me to the next aoul, supposed to be about thirty versts to the westward. We were undoubtedly a wild-looking band, consisting of nineteen men and twenty-seven horses. As night was drawing in fast, and the aoul very distant, my new escort went off at a gallop, which we kept up over steppe and rough ground for an hour, when it became quite dark. After this our speed was slower, nor was there any certainty when or where we should find an encampment. Two or three Kirghis rode off to some distance on each side of our route to look out for either a light, or some other indication which might guide us to a yourt. Having ridden more than an hour in this way, the party who had been out on our right came in, and said there was an aoul in that direction not far off. A Kirghis was sent to recall the other men, when we turned toward the encampment, crossing some rising ground, and shortly were greeted by the barking and growling of many dogs as we rode up to the yourts. It was now about nine o'clock ; and a Kirghis yourt is never lighted up at night except ing by a small fire in the middle, which makes only a reddish glare, as the camel's dung does not blaze. A few minutes sufficed to spread the carpets and roll ourselves up for the night.

→My host informed me that it was only a two hours' ride from his aoul to the Irtisch ; and thinking I might obtain better views of the lake from that part, I decided on going there. We started immediately after breakfast, riding through the reeds for more than an hour in the hope of finding a wild boar, but without success. We continued our ride over the steppe, having in some parts fine grass, in others sand and gravel. The ground being little above the level of the water, a south wind will cause it to be inundated for many miles. In about two hours and a half we reached Karatas, or black stone, the Cossack fishing-station on Nor-Zaisan, close to the Irtisch. A low island extends from the mouth of the Irtisch to a considerable distance into the lake, covered with very high reeds and bulrushes, and closing up the view in that direc tion. In front of the fishing-huts there are about four hundred yards of shingle and sand extending along the shore. The sand has been blown into heaps by the wind, and forms many small mounds reaching far into the steppe.

→During my ride I found many places where the wild boars had been rooting and lying, but I did not see one of them ; nevertheless, they are very numerous here, more particularly so on the western shore. After this I returned to the aoul greatly disap pointed. My lodging was in the chiefs yourt; carpets were spread, tea handed round in Chinese bowls, with "kishmish" (small dried raisins) and dried apricots—a most delicious evening meal. The Kirghis at this aoul were wealthy ; the chief had more than three thousand horses, and nearly three hundred camels, with oxen and sheep in great numbers. My host was rather short in stature, but a very gentlemanly little man, dressed in a black velvet kalat, a crimson shawl round his waist, a beautifully embroidered cap on his head, and a pair of small high-heeled red leather boots on his feet. His wife was dressed in a silk kalat, striped with yellow, red, and green, giving her a very gay appearance. She had a cap formed of white calico hanging over her shoulders, a green shawl round her waist, and red boots. They had four children, and these were running about naked. There were eighteen yourts or dwellings in this aoul, making a large population when they all came out to see the strangers. During the evening a sheep was killed and cooked as before, but as the Cossacks broiled some of the mutton for me, I got it clean. When the meat was cooked, the whole of the aoul attended the feast, men, women, and chil dren—dogs included. For some cause, the sheep was not eaten in the chiefs yourt ; they all assembled in another some little distance off, leaving me the sole occupant of his dwelling. Think ing they might have some scruples about my being of the party, I would not intrude upon them, but remained and ate my supper in quiet.

→We left this encampment soon after daylight in the morning, and in little more than an hour came upon our old track, followed it, and just at dark rode into Koch-bouchta, my host delighted to see me return safe and well. Tea and various good things were soon placed on the table, which, after so long a ride, were most ac ceptable, and several of the Cossack officers came in to spend the evening. Wodky and other drinkables were produced. My Cossack friends sang Russian songs, and I made an attempt at some English ones. Thus we passed a very agreeable evening on the frontiers of his celestial majesty's empire.

→A little after dark on the evening of the seventh day after leav ing my friend at his gold mine, his dogs gave notice of my return. I was hailed with delight, and we spent several hours very pleas antly in his little room. He presented me with one of his beauti ful dogs, long afterward a faithful companion and an excellent guardian during my sojourn in Chinese Tartary.

→Almost immediately we arrived at the aoul a sheep was killed : two Kirghis set about dressing it, and in an incredibly short time it was cut to pieces, put into a large iron caldron covered with a wooden lid, and placed over a fire made in the ground ; a boy was constantly employed putting small quantities of wood under the iron vessel to keep up a blaze. The men who had dressed the sheep took their stand beside the seething pot, each having a wood en ladle, and occasionally lifting up the lid to skim the boiling mess. The Cossacks dined with the Kirghis ; I did not, having seen the entrails put into the pan after undergoing but a very slight purification. This induced me to order tea, which I knew would be clean. I did not even enter the yourt during dinner. Directly this meal was over we started for Nor-Zaisan, and soon came up to beds of reeds higher than our heads, growing on the sandy plain; still, no water was visible. No doubt there are times when the whole is under water, for an easterly wind will extend the lake ten or fifteen miles in this direction. On we went over a sandy plain, through and between beds of reeds, without one single point of interest. At last, a little before night, we ar rived at another aoul, and on going up to the yourts I saw the lake through a small opening in the reeds. Fifty paces brought me to the shore, and great was my disappointment. I could see nothing but reeds forming the boundary of the lake—not so much as one foot of sandy shore. Nor was there a canoe in which to go out into the open water. I rode along the shore, through these beds of grass, for five or six versts, and frequently forced my horse into the water above the saddle-flaps, but without being able to get a single peep into the lake.

→Early this morning we were ready for the road : the woman was also preparing for departure. I gave her tea and sugar, and saw the children drink it with great delight. They were to be packed up in voilocks, and carried on the back of a camel. We left them, and traveled to the south over some low hills, and from the top of one obtained a view extending over the steppe as far as the eye could reach. The fire had advanced some fifteen or twenty versts, and was still raging fearfully. We had a thick short turf to ride over for several hours, which must have made fine pasturage for the horses and cattle during part of the summer. A little before noon we arrived at a large aoul just as the men were drawing water from a well about ten feet deep to water their herds and flocks. First came the goats and sheep in very large numbers. It was quite interesting to see them march up, fifty or sixty together, pushing each other to get to the long wooden trough, some twenty of them drinking at a time, and then march off in the opposite direction. One division after another came up, drank, and trotted away without creating any confusion. When the sheep had fin ished, then came the horses, snorting and kicking; but the men would at once drive out any refractory individual, and punish him by not allowing him to drink till the last. I saw several under going this discipline. The camels are watered at some distance : they did not come to this well. The men were stripped, having only their tchimbar and boots on, and fine athletic fellows they were.

→While sitting drinking my tea, I could see on the steppe the reflection of the fire, which was advancing very fast; and as we were not more than half an hour's walk from the old tomb on the hill, I determined to go there, whence the whole extent of the conflagration could be seen. Three of my people accompanied me, and when we reached our destination, what a scene was presented to us ! The fire was still about ten versts to the east, but it was traveling directly west and along our track, extending in breadth across the steppe probably twenty- five or thirty versts. The flames ran along the ground, licking up the long grass with their forked tongues with great rapidity, and making a tremendous glare. We remained more than an hour looking upon this sublime and awful scene, and then returned to our lodging. I sat up in the yourt a long time, watching the woman feed the fire with dwarf bushes and camel's dung: she might have been taken for a witch blowing up a fire for some unholy rite. Strange and dirty as this place was, I wrapped myself up in my cloak and slept soundly.

→About half past three o'clock we stopped on the bank of a large river, now dry, with the exception of a few deep holes. In April and May, when the snow is melting on the mountains, it is a ma jestic stream, more than a verst broad, washing out holes in the steppe in some places twenty and thirty feet deep, and sweeping every thing away in its course. Here we ate our dinner, during which I pointed out to our guide a small column of white smoke, evidently a very great distance off, which I supposed to be at a Kirghis aoul ; but he assured me that there were no encampments in that direction, and that the smoke proceeded from the reeds burn ing on the shores of Nor-Zaisan. Our dinner was soon finished, and we traveled straight toward the smoke, sometimes over rich pastures, at others over gravel and stones, on which there was lit tle vegetation. After riding two hours, we were near enough to see that the steppe was on fire, and not the reeds. Our route had been along the foot of some low grassy hills for many versts, where our guide expected to find an encampment. We discover ed the place, but the Kirghis had left some days before. One of the Cossacks dashed off up the hill, riding along the summit a short distance, and then returned, saying that he had seen a single yourt, and that we should not find another for thirty or forty versts. Our horses were turned up the hill, and we soon gained the summit, near a fine old tomb : the crests of these hills are studded with them, and some are of great antiquity. From this elevated position I observed that the fire was spreading fast over the steppe. Just at dark we reached the yourt, and found it a poor miserable place, in which were a dirty Kirghis woman and four young children, three of whom were very ill. She added fuel to her fire, and made our kettle boil ; in return, I made tea for her self and the children : the latter were lying on a voilock, covered up with skins. When the woman gave them the tea, I saw that they had not a rag of clothing to cover their little bodies. No one can conceive the wretchedness of some of these people, and more especially the females. The only part of this woman's garments which indicated her sex was a piece of dirty cotton thrown over her head, forming a cap. She had on a pair of old leathern tchimbar (wide trowsers), boots with very high heels, and an old sheep skin coat, with many rents in it, proving beyond all question that she had not a rag of under-clothing. This poor creature and a man had been left with the sick children, the aoul having been moved to fresh pastures many versts distant.

→I was up at dawn of day, and went to a new fort, which is not yet completed. Sitting down on a plank, I looked toward the east, and in a very few minutes the sun rose majestically, as if from the sea. My ride to-day would be directly toward the point whence I saw the sun rise. Having returned to my quarters to breakfast, my host, who has the charge of the Kirghis, told me the horses were already arrived to take me to Nor-Zaisan. At twelve o'clock all was prepared, and we started with six Cossacks besides the Siberian Cossack, and twelve horses. There was a fine turf on the steppe, which enabled us to go on rapidly. We soon pass ed the low hills to the south of Koch-bouchta, and then entered on the great steppe, which extends down to Nor-Zaisan on the east, and to the Tarbogatai Mountains on the south. There are many undulations on this vast plain, which in summer affords pasturage for immense herds of horses. We frequently passed places where aouls had stood, the inhabitants of which were gone toward the Tarbogatai.

→Kolmack-Tologuy is seen from a great distance, and is easily known from all other mountains by its peculiar craggy sides and arched summit. On its smooth dome figures of men and of different animals have been sculptured by the Kalmucks ages ago. Solitary or Sarte-Tologuy stands in its original position on the northwest slope of the Tarbogatai, within the frontiers of China. This tradition is most faithfully believed by the Kirghis; indeed, it would be dangerous in some places to express any doubt about its truth, or attempt to ridicule the narrator.

→The mother anxiously awaited the return of her husband and son. At length, tormented by painful uncertainty about their fate, and feeling a presentiment that some misfortune had befallen them, she determined to follow on their track. She at last recognized the mountain, now the monument under which her husband and son lay buried. The bereaved widow and mother sobbed bitterly, absolutely, according to the best authorities, shedding tears of blood. She mourned her loss for a long while and would not be comforted. Finally the blood-drops ran dry, and when she wept again her tears were pure and transparent as a spring. The rocks were the silent witnesses of her misery, and have preserved the proofs of her sorrow and devotion, the tears of blood and drops of crystal having become petrified and transformed into layers of argil and quartz, which can be distinguished from a great distance by the color of red and white. This mountain of quartz is about five versts south from Kolmack-Tologuy. It is named by the Kirghis Ac-Tas, or white stone, and is held by them in great veneration.

→It is said by the Kirghis that the steppes about Nor-Zaisan were occupied ages ago by a very great and ancient people, about whom they give the following tradition. At this extremely remote period —which I may perhaps be allowed to call the mythological period—two mountains, the one called Kolmack-Tologuy and the other Sarte-Tologuy, stood in the Tarbogatai chain ; and two heroes or giants, father and son, engaged to carry KolmackTologuy to the rocky shores of the Irtisch, and place it on the plain where the town and fortress of Oust-Kamenogorsk are built, for the purpose of damming up the river. At a certain distance from the Karagol Mountains the heroes were to pass the night. Having put down their load, the son asked the father permission to go and visit his bride, who dwelt on the broad steppes extending along the shores of Nor-Zaisan. "Remember," said the father, "that the kalim is not paid, and that you can not stay with her in the right of a husband." The son proceeded to the aoul of his bride, but was so charmed with her beauty that he forgot his father's strict injunctions, and remained till sunrise, when the stern old man, growing impatient of his son's delay, had already raised his side of the mountain. On resuming his labor, the young giant found, notwithstanding all his efforts, that he was utterly unable to move his portion of the load. Enraged by this proof that his injunctions had been disobeyed, the old man ordered him to place himself under the mountain, when he remorselessly let go his hold, and the enormous mass fell, crushing both.

→At seven o'clock this morning I left my kind host. The road for more than forty versts is of the same uninteresting description —rounded hills with short grass ; in some of the ravines a few stunted birches were growing. After this we ascended a small chain of mountains which runs toward Nor-Zaisan ; one summit has a very peculiar form, like a monk's head, with his shaven crown, the rocks bristling out on the sides forming his hoary locks. It rises far above all other parts of the chain, is seen from a long distance across the steppe, and is named Kolmack-Tologuy. The Kirghis have a curious tradition about this mount. Having reach ed the top of the crest, over which the road passes, we had the vast extent of steppe spread out before us. The view was mag nificent. A small chain of high granite rocks runs to the west ward ; to the south appeared one interminable plain : there was neither town nor any other object by which one could measure its magnitude. I sketched this scene while the sun was sinking fast below the western chain, covering the sky with a most vivid golden yellow. The mountains were purple and misty, casting their shadows far over the plain. A streak of deep purple passed across the steppe, in which a small lake was sparkling like burnished gold, while nearer and beneath the steppe was undefined in gloom. The stony locks and shaven crown of Tologuy were lighted up with a golden hue, and the foreground on which I stood, with its broken rocks of reddish porphyry, and the browned and burned-up grass, were tinged with a deep orange, making a splendid picture. Hav ing finished my sketch, we descended rapidly into the plain, over which we galloped at a furious speed, and arrived at Koch-bouchta about an hour after dark.

→Presently indistinct objects could be seen approaching; the Kirghis sprang on their horses, with battle-axes in hand, to defend their homes and their property. They were scarcely prepared when the bandits made a charge into the encampment ; both par ties fought with desperation, and several were struck down on each side. While this was going on, shrieks were heard among the women and children, another party having rushed in from the opposite side, and were driving off both horses and camels. Day broke, and saw this little community despoiled by the plunderer, and four of its inhabitants murdered ; two women and three chil dren had been carried off by the robbers, with near three hundred horses and forty-two camels, while several of the men and two women were wounded. But the plunderers had not escaped ; five of their number were left on the field, three dead, and two danger ously wounded ; these also died in the course of the following day. It was supposed the aoul had been attacked by a party of about fifty. These people are in continual warfare, and their rob beries are often on a much greater scale. During the evening a gale of wind sprang up, which shook the little dwelling to its foundation, and sounded vastly like winter, which, I feared, was coming apace.

→About two months before my arrival a tribe of Kirghis were living in one of the valleys to the eastward, near Irtisch ; and one day, while watching the horses at a considerable distance from the aoul, some of them perceived several horsemen reconnoitring the country from one of the high ridges. This roused their suspicions, and induced them to drive their horses toward the encampment earlier in the evening, and communicate to the tribe what they had seen. A council was held by the chief, when it was decided that a vigilant watch should be kept up through the night, and that proper arrangements should be prepared to defend their dwellings. Scouts were sent out in the direction where the men had been seen, but they returned without perceiving any one. The night was dark, and the watch was set ; each man, having something to lose, kept a strict guard over the property. Some time after mid night the dogs became uneasy, and were frequently heard to bark, but this was attributed to the wolves, as the men could not hear a sound even by laying their ears to the ground. The barking of the dogs became more frequent, and consequently the men more watchful ; soon a distant tramp of horses was heard approaching slowly, but nothing could be seen through the gloom. At length the barking of the dogs became so furious that all in the aoul were roused up and made aware of the danger.

→I spent the afternoon and night with this gentleman, who leads a most solitary life here, his only neighbor living at another gold mine thirty-five versts distant. The Cossack picket is within three versts of his house, but there is no officer—only eight men. He related to me accounts of several great " barantas" which had taken place in his neighborhood, such bands of robbers being very numerous, and they carry on their depredations with most daring audacity.

→Nothing my host could say would induce the two Kirghis to attempt the journey over the mountains. By their appearance I should think fear was not one of their failings, for they had thor ough bandit countenances, which spoke intelligibly what they would do on the first favorable opportunity. My host was a well-informed man, and a perfect gentleman, who had been banished into Siberia from his native land ; he had spent some years in the University at Kief, and, like many others of his countrymen, was more devoted to the sword than the pen. I sincerely hope, be fore this, he has been permitted to return to his native Poland. We walked along the course of the little brook, where excavations were being made, in the expectation of finding a rich bed of the precious ore ; but, like hundreds of others, it proved delusive. The discoverer of this mine arrived in St. Petersburg, carrying in his pocket samples of gold declared to have been found on this spot, and produced a statement showing how many zalotnicks of the precious metal could be got from a hundred poods of sand ; also describing the extent over which this valuable deposit was spread. The bait was too tempting to be resisted, numbers being anxious to possess shares in a mine that was to produce so much wealth. The subscriptions were paid willingly, and the man re turned to Siberia with more than one hundred thousand rubles in his pocket, to be divided among his accomplices. The poor exile was offered the directorship of these mines, and for a mere existence was induced to banish himself still farther from men. It was to obtain bread, which his own exhausted funds would barely provide. He had been sent to this place, where gold was said to be lying in such quantities, more than eighteen months before my visit, up to which time not a single pound of the ore had been found. Shortly after I left, legal proceedings were com menced against him by merchants in Siberia, who had supplied goods for this company by his order. It redounds to the credit of two of the highest authorities of Siberia that, when these cir cumstances became known to them, a stop was put to proceedings which would soon have deprived him of his liberty even in his ex ile. Since then we have met far from this pretended gold mine, in Oriental Siberia, where I fortunately was able to return his kindness.

→As we proceeded farther to the south the country became less interesting, made up of rounded hills and undulating sterile coun try. After traveling a little more than two hours we arrived at a priesk (gold mine) close to our track, and stopped to look at the works ; I accepted the invitation of the director to stay the night ; a yourt was placed in front of his little dwelling, and dinner al most immediately placed on the table. On mentioning my wish to visit Nor-Zaisan, he proposed to give me horses and Kirghis guides to cross the mountains, as it was only a two days' journey by this route. After dinner he sent to an encampment not far distant for two Kirghis to act as my guides, and on their arrival the matter was explained to them, when both exclaimed that it was impossible to proceed by the mountains, the snow at this season being so deep. The only way I could go, I was told, was round by the steppe, which would be a five days' journey on horseback.

→These tombs are all built of rough stone, consisting of a base ment sometimes ten or twelve feet square, and eight feet high, on the top of which rises a small pyramid. There are many others around them much less in dimensions, which induced me to sup pose that a chief and part of his tribe had been buried within each group of sepulchres. Beyond them to the westward the Monas tery Mountain was seen looming over the steppe at a distance of thirty or forty versts. The track along which we traveled was very bad, and the telaga constantly bounded over rough blocks of granite. In about two hours we reached a Cossack picket ; in ten minutes a new escort was mounted, and the telaga at the door, our baggage packed in, and away we went at full gallop over a smooth steppe. We were now ascending a high ridge, and shortly en tered a pass in a granite mountain quite destitute of herbage, scarcely a blade of grass being to be seen among the rocks. The road ascended considerably during the last three or four versts, after which we began to descend into a most singular place. Our track was along what appeared to have been the margin of a cra ter, the granite blocks and fissures all radiating from the centre. A little farther on we passed over a part which had every appear ance of having been forced out of the crater in a liquid state, flow ing down a slight declivity, and cooling before it reached the bot tom. There are numerous waves or beds of this, each stopping several yards from the edge of the one beneath, leaving scarcely a doubt on my mind that this granite had once run down like lava or molten metal. Our way was up a ravine for some distance, and then we began a difficult descent to the steppe.