Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XVIII.—A Critical Situation
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
A CRITICAL SITUATION. 285
1 gave Khodai Kullu a handsome reward in silver for the
courage and resolution he had shown. He assured me,
quite simply, that during the whole of the time he was
firmly decided not to turn back before he had executed
my order, even though it should cost him his life. Ever
since he had killed the wild camel, Khodai KuUu’s reputa-
tion had been rising amongst the men ; but from this
time onwards he was never called anything else but
Batir, meaning " The Hero." These are the fellows you
want to have about you !
Meanwhile, in the course of his wanderings he had come
across FaisuUah’s trail, and perceived that Faisullah was
going in the wrong direction, namel}^ right back into the
desert again. As soon as Tokta Akhun heard this, he
sent out from Kum-chapghan and Abdal two relief expe-
ditions, with asses carrying food and water. I was con-
sumed with the keenest anxiety about Faisullah, for he
had all the old wood-carvings from the ruins, and all
the photographic plates I had taken, together with other
valuable possessions, packed away in his boxes.
After resting two days, we set off for Tokta Akhun’s hut,
a journey which it took us four days to accomplish. Now
the most remarkable thing of all was, that at the point
where we turned back, and were very nearly surrounded
by the water, we were not more than two miles from the
camp of the rescue party. But between our two camps
there were several new arms and lakes, which, issuing
northwards from the Kara-koshun, formed in the middle
of the desert a large lake, and this we now had to go round
—that is, we had to march four days in order to advance
two miles.
At Tokta Akhun’s camp we again rested, and I made
a couple of splendid canoe trips before we finally set off
for the shore of the Ak-kol, where Numet Bek, one of
my old friends, met us with the good news that Faisullah
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
