satisfied, it was
suggested that a sheep should be slaughtered in our honor. Neither meat
nor bread is ever eaten by any but the rich Kirghiz. Their universal
kumiss, corresponding to the Turkish yaourt, or coagulated milk, and other
forms of lacteal dishes, sometimes mixed with meal, form the chief diet of
the poor. The wife of our host, a buxom woman, who, as we had seen, could
leap upon a horse's back as readily as a man, now entered the doorway,
carrying a full-grown sheep by its woolly coat. This she twirled over on
its back, and held down with her knee while the butcher artist drew a
dagger from his belt, and held it aloft until the assembly stroked their
scant beards, and uttered the solemn bismillah. Tired out by the day's
ride, we fell asleep before the arrangements for the feast had been
completed. When awakened near midnight, we found that the savory odor from
the huge caldron on the fire had only increased the attraction and the
crowd. The choicest bits were now selected for the guests. These consisted
of pieces of liver, served with lumps of fat from the tail of their
peculiarly fat-tailed sheep. As an act of the highest hospitality, our
host dipped these into some liquid grease, and then, reaching over, placed
them in our mouths with his fingers. It required considerable effort on
this occasion to subject our feelings of nausea to a sense of Kirghiz
politeness. In keeping with their characteristic generosity, every one in
the kibitka must partake in some measure of the feast, although the women,
who had done all the work, must be content with remnants and bones already
picked over by the host. But this disposition to share everything was not
without its other aspect; we also were expected to share everything with
them. We were asked to bestow any little trinket or nick-nack exposed to
view. Any extra nut on the machine, a handkerchief, a packet of tea, or a
lump of sugar, excited their cupidity at once. The latter was considered a
bonbon by the women and younger portion of the spectators. The attractive
daughter of our host, "Kumiss John," amused herself by stealing lumps of
sugar from our pockets. When the feast was ended, the beards were again
stroked, the name of Allah solemnly uttered by way of thanks for the
bounty of heaven, and then each gave utterance to his appreciation of the
meal.

Before retiring for the night, the dervish led the prayers, just as he had
done at sunset. The praying-mats were spr