Merv, the Queen of the World; and the scourge of the man-stealing Turcomans. With an exposition of the Khorassan question

Front matter

MERV, THE QUEEN OF THE WORLD; AND THE SCOURGE OF THE MAN-STEALING TURCOMANS. * WITH AN RXPOSITION OF THE KHORASSAN QUESTION, BY CHARLES MARVIN, AUTHOR OF " THE DISASTROUS RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN AOAINST THE AKHAL TEKKE TURCOMANS," ORODEKOFF'S RIDE TO HEHAT," '"oUK PUBLIC OFFICES," BTC "It is pretty certain that the Russian and British frontipra in Central Asia will Borae day meet. Where they will meet depends upon ourselves, If we do not wish our rival to overstep a certain line, we must ourselveB advance to that line." — Mackenzie Wallace. LONDON: W. H. ALLEN & CO. 13, WATERLOO PLACE, 1881. [All rights reserved,] LONDON PRINTED BY W. H. ALLEN AND CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE. TO England's warmest and MOST DISINTERESTED SUPPORTER IN HER RIVALRY WITH RUSSIA, ARMINIUS VAMBERY, THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED B_ THE AUTHOR. a *

Preface

. A reason why we have few comprehensive compilations dealing with current political questions is, I imagine, the small thanks and smaller profit the compiler receives for his trouble. Another, perhaps, is that it is much easier for a writer to " read up " a subject (aided by Stokes' excellent system of memory, if you will), and "knock off" light, superficial sketches, replete with opinion but barren of fact, than to set himself down to the drudgery of preparing an artistic compilation. The result of these two circumstances is, that while during the last seven years we have had innumerable articles on the Merv Question, nothing has, as yet, appeared in the form of a book that would give the general reader, or even the professional politician, a comprehensive idea of the subject. Theoretically, every writer who pretends to an authoritative opinion on a subject should be well read up in it. As a matter of fact, however, journalists and politicians have too many subjects

PREFACE.

. VI and too little leisure to make themselves thorough masters of every political topic. The present work, compiled originally for the guidance of the author in forming his own individual opinion, may serve a similar purpose with others ; and save many a wasted hour in study and research. The book may be accepted as containing the greater part, if not, indeed, the whole of the matter a writer would hunt for in reading up the Merv Question. It further contains a deal of Russian information not yet placed before the English public ; including three valuable articles on the Turcomans, by the late Major - General Petroosevitch, Governor of Krasnovodsk, entitled, " The Turcomans between the old bed of the Oxus and the North Persian Frontier," " The North-East Provinces of Khoras san," and " The South-East Littoral of the Caspian, and Eoads thence to Merv," (in all 214 pages,) published at Tiflis in 1880.

I have appended a fac simile of the map published by Petroosevitch with his book. Except in my translation of the above articles, I have avoided condensation as much as possible, in order to avoid errors and misconceptions. Every fact stands in the light the original author would wish it to do, and my own opinions being chiefly relegated to the end of the volume, I ought to escape the imputation of " garbling " and " colouring " facts

PREFACE.

. VII that is so frequently made — too often too justly — against political writers. Holding strongly to the opinion that what one writer has well described it is a waste of time for another to describe again, I have let the travellers among the Turcomans tell their story of the country and its people in their own words, adopting the " mosaic " treatment em ployed in the Eye-witnesses' Account of the Disastrous Russian Campaign against the Akhal Tekke Turcomans. I have adopted no regular system of spelling proper names ; following as closely as possible the prevailing practice. As no two travellers spell Persian and Turcoman names alike, I trust to be excused if verbal differences have anywhere escaped my notice. Finally, I must not omit to express my thanks to my wife, without whose affectionate assistance this work could scarcely have been written.

Charlton, Kent, Feb. 1881. LIST OF MAPS, &c. 1. Portrait of Author . . . Frontispiece 2. General Petroosevitch's Map of Akhal and Merv To face page 3. Map showing the position of the Turcoman tribes To face page 4. Map showing how Eussia, having annexed the deserts of Central Asia, is beginning to establish a hold upon the fertile mountain region of Persia and Afghanistan. To face page 5. Map showing the wedge thrust between Herat and Meshed by the conquest of the Turcomans. To face page 6. Map showing the menaced road to India. To face page 7. Map showing the narrowness of the isthmus joining Khorassan with Persia . . .To face page 8. Map showing the great fertile zone between the Caspian and Herat . . . .To face page 9. Map showing the short road from Astrabad to Herat 1 31 269 299 337 355 359 To face page 363 10.

Map showing the relative positions of Merv and Herat To face page 385 11. Map of West Akhal . . .To face page PAGB v CONTENTS. PEEFACE CHAPTEE I. Travellers among the Turcomans. Early explorers of Merv. — Baillie Fraser. — Conolly's overland journey to India. — His captivity among the Turcomans. — Joseph Wolff, the eccentric missionary. — How he used to walk through the deserts of Bokhara. — His extraordinary courage. — Journey in quest of Stoddart and Conolly in the costume of a clergyman. — Burnes' visit to Merv. — Abbott's ride to Khiva through Merv. — Succeeding travellers in the period from 1840 to 1848. — Murder of Flores Naselli. — Ferrier's caravan journeys. — Vambery's perilous journey through Turkmenia in the disguise of a dervish. — His sufferings. — Narrow escape of detection. — Blessing the Emir of Bokhara. — England's ingratitude to Vambery. — A model English patriot. — Colonel Valentine Baker's journey to Akhal. — Disgraceful treatment of Colonel McGregor and other travellers by Lord Lytton. — Burnaby's ride to Khiva. — Butler's journey in pigtail and petticoats. — Grodekoff 's ride to Herat. — General Petroosevitch. — The expelled Correspondent of the Daily News ....... 1 CHAPTEE II.

Turkmenia. Major Abbott's description of the region. — Conolly's account nf the Transcaspian steppes. — Their capability for cultivation. — Vambery's "whole secret of the fertility" of CONTENTS. X PAGE 30 Turkmenia.— Peculiar properties of the steppe grass. — Experience of the Eussian troops in 1879. — Conflagra tions in the desert. — Conolly's description of a march across the desert. — The Turcoman steppes not a desert in the Sahara sense of the expression. — Baillie Fraser's description of the Goorgan region. — A delightful country. — Burnes's account of Budjnurd and Akhal. — The easiest route to Herat.— The best of the three roads to Meshed. — The annexation of the Goorgan region by Eussia unnoticed by England ..... CHAPTEE III. The Origin of the Turcomans, with an Account of the Minor Tribes.

Vambery's account of the origin of the Turcomans. — Meaning of the term " Turcoman." — Progress of the Tekkes. — Invasions of Turkmenia. — The Shahs and the Kurds. — The relations of Khiva and Bokhara with the Turcomans. — The number of slaves in the two khanates. — Burnes' list of the Turcoman tribes. — Position of the tribes in 1830-40. — Vambery's list.— Changes in the interval. — Petroosevitch's list. — Translation of Petroosevitch's account of the lesser Turcoman tribes. — The tribes subject to Bokhara. — The Ersaris. — Divisions of the tribes. — The Yomoods. — Difference between the Tchomoor and Tcharva. — The winter at Tchikishlar. — Turcoman pirates. — Statistics of the Yomood clans. — The Goklans. — Differences in the estimates of the total of the tribe. — Description of the Goklan region. — Loveliness of the scenery. — A topographical description of the Kopet Dagh and Elburz region. — " One of the most favoured spots in the world." — Buins of ancient cities. — Bawlinson at fault. — " Happy Land." — The scourge of the Tekke Turcomans . 89 CHAPTEE IV.

The Tekkes of Akhal and Merv. Difference between Akhal and Merv. — The Heri Eood. — Water in Central Asia. — A fact for Mr. Darwin. — A description of Akhal. — Geok Tepe. — Distances in Akhal CONTENTS. XI PAGE 65 92 and Persia.— The rivers of Akhal. — An enumeration of the villages. — Askabat. — The clans of the Akhal oasis. — Population of Akhal. — Absorption phenomenon in Persia. — How the rivers disappear. — The cause of the desert character of the Turcoman region. — Can the Turcoman steppes ever be reclaimed ? — The rise of the Akhal Tekkes. — The great migration to the Tedjend. — The advance upon Merv. — The Tekkes at Sarakhs. — The Sariks retire and the Salors are pushed towards Afghan istan. — Frightful character of the Tekke forays. — The great Persian defeat of 1861. — A Persian for a pound ! — Absorption of the Salors. — The total number of Tekkes at Merv. — The great Dam. — Immense increase of the tribe. — The clans at Merv. — Impending migration from Akhal. — The vicissitudes of the Sarik tribe. — The Turcomans and Afghanistan. — Sarik clans. — Pendj deh. — A Persian raid. — Capture of 100,000 fat-tailed sheep. — Scenes on the way home. — The Salor tribe. — Three thousand carried away into bondage CHAPTEE V. Camp Life in the Desert.

What the Turcoman tents are like. — Fraser's description of the Turcoman's portable house. — A tent warmer than the best-built house. — Winter in the desert.— One advantage of living in a kibitka. — A " wrinkle " for the military authorities in India. — Eussian troops housed in tents. — An aoul. — Description of an encampment. — Conolly's account of a Turcoman camp in the deSert. — Fraser's picture of a Goklan encampment. — A night halt among the Goklans. — A camp at dawn. — Break up of the camp. — Turcomans on the march. — Arrival at a halting-place. — Picturesque scenes. — Patriotic spirit of the Turcomans. — " Home, sweet home" CHAPTEE VI. What they eat and how they treat strangers. The hospitality of the Turcomans.— Conolly's opinion of hospitality in general and of Turcoman hospitality m particular.— The Arab's mode of asking a victim to strip.— A meal in a Goklan's tent.— A dinner in a chief's abode CONTENTS.

XII PAGE 103 on the banks of the Goorgan.— Major Abbott's dinner with the High Priest of Merv.— Burnes' opinion of Turcoman cookery. — Boihng a sheep entire. — Lamb grilled on ramrods. — A fact for savants. — A Turcoman breakfast. — Fraser's breakfast in a Goklan tent. — Vambery's receipt for making pilaf. — How the Turco mans bake thenbread. — The only drink of the nomads. — Carnivorous propensities disappearing. — The melons of Merv. — The Turcoman pipe. — The Turcoman's mode of playing chess. — Turcoman music. — Burnes' account of nomad songs. — Fraser's prosy and Vambery's picturesque description of the troubadours. — Translation of a Turcoman war song ....... CHAPTEE VII. Life and Manners among the Turcomans. Personal appearance of the Turcomans. — Various opinions of then* aspect. — Their love of politics. — Their dialect. — Their religion. — Fraser's opinion of their character. — Wealth of the Goorgan Yomoods and Merv Tekkes. — Baron Bode on their alleged bravery. — " The beau-ideal of light dragoons." — Colonel Valentine Baker's opinion of their military qualities. — Afghanistan at Bussia's mercy. — General Markozoff on the fighting powers of the Tekkes. — Their mode of attack. — A Turcoman proverb bettered. — Captain Napier's belief in the improvement of the Tekkes. — Captain Bikoff 's visit to Ersaris. — Napier refuted by Grodekoff and McGregor. — England must not be misled by false mediums. — The truth about the Tekkes. — The Turcoman dress. — The social fabric and administration among the Turcomans. — A nation without a head. — Government by custom. — The rule of " Deb." — General Petroosevitch's views of Tekke society. — Criticism on it 118 CHAPTEE VIII.

The Women of Turkmenia. Indifference of Turcomans to their wives. — Vambery's opinion of them. — Burnes' experiences of the Ersari damsels. — Conflicting views of their beauty. — Turcoman CONTENTS. XIII women at home. — A warning to peripatetic Lotharios. — ■ What the women wear. — The jubba. — Ornaments among the nomads. — How the women are treated by the men. — Household life. — Vambery and the hard-worked Turco man woman. — Early marriages. — Boy bridegrooms and girl brides. — A reason against marrying old maids. — The value of a virgin. — Why a widow is preferred by the men to a maid. — The price of women in Turkmenia. — Curious divorce for a year after marriage. — " Stolen kisses taste the sweetest." — Marriage ceremonies. — Carrying off the bride. — Marriage sports and horse-races. — Marriage by chase. — Elopements. — Why the Turcomans are not " very much married." — Largeness of Turcoman families. — The law of divorce. — The chastity of Turcoman women. — Concubines. — The children of slave women. — The Eegs and the Kouls 185 CHAPTEE IX.

Camels, Dogs, and Hunting. Fraser's account of the Turcoman camel. — Difference between the breeds. — Burnaby's opinion of the camel as a boast of burden. — Captain Potto and the camel in steppe campaigns. — Burnes' experiences with camels in his journey from Bokhara to Merv. — Enormous waste of camels by Russia. — Vambery and the virtues of Turcoman camels. — The camel's thorn. — Drawbacks to camel transport in hilly districts. — The Turcoman dromedary. ■ — Kajavahs. — Riding on camel-back. — Dogs. — The mastiffs at Merv. — Partridge-hunting. — Wild asses and antelopes. — Boars in the Atrek region. — November scenes in the delta of the Atrek. — Spiders as big as a mouse. — Half-a-million birds. — Water-snakes in the desert .......... 151 CHAPTEE X. The Turcoman Horse. Colonel C. M. McGregor's opinion of the Turcoman horse. — The horse for India. — The Tekke horse the cause of the forays. — Effects of the Turcoman pasturage upon horseflesh. — The food of the Turcoman horse. — His origin. — Appearance.— Contrasted with the Arab and English CONTENTS.

PAGE horse. — The Yomood breed. — Its characteristics. — How Tamerlane established the Turcoman breed of horses. — The steeds of the tribes living between Merv and Herat. — Food, weights, and pace on a journey. — Enormous distances traversed by the Turcoman horse. — Six hun dred miles in six days. — Messengers between Khiva and Merv. — Horse-races. — Exploits of the Turcoman horse. — How they fight in time of action. — Fate of the best bloods.— Cost of a Turcoman horse. — Colonel Valentine Baker and the Tekke horse-dealers. — How the Turcoman horse is reared. — Preparing the charger for the desert foray, or raid into Persia. — No stables in Turkmenia. — How the horses are clothed in winter. — The sweating process. — Eiding towards Persia.* — The love of the Turcoman for his steed. — A curious illustration of the purity of the Turcoman breed. — Stallions. — Plan for improving their carriage. — Colonel Baker's Merv. — Eussia's acquisition of Turcoman horses. — The Cossacks and Turcomans. — Future of the breed . . . .162 CHAPTEE XI.

Man-stealing Expeditions. Eise of slave-stealing in Turkmenia.— Early kidnappers. — Sarik and Salor raiders. — Forays from Merv.*— The Tekkes and man-stealing. — Markets for slaves. — Number of slaves in Khiva in 1841 ; in Bokhara 1845 ; in Bokhara during Burnes' visit. — The alaman and the tchapao. — Preparing for the foray. — Assembling the raiders. — Training the horses. — Marches the first four days of the foray. — Eeconnoitring a caravan. — The attack. — Fate of the prisoners. — Treachery of the Persian villagers. — Characteristics ofthe Turcoman raids. — Petticoat chagrin. — Attacking villages.— Plundering pilgrims. — Extraordinary cowardice of the Persians. — Burnes' experience of an alaman. — Hajji Baba's account of his capture by Turcomans. — Stripping the captives. — Eeturning with the spoils to the camp. — Persian sayings about the Turcomans. — A terrible curse. — Colonel C. M. McGregor's brush with the Turcomans.— Brave after the event. — Narrative of a man three years captive among the Turcomans.— Carrying off slaves to the desert. — A romance of Turcoman life. — Escape from lifelong slavery •■•......

CONTENTS. XV PAGE 201 CHAPTEE XII. The Turcoman Scourge. Devastation in Khorassan. — Sights in Deregez. — Kuined settlements. — A life of constant alarm. — Terrible sufferings of the Khorassanis. — The raid on Faizabad. — " I wish to God either you or the Eussians would come and free us from these devils." — Depopulated banks of the Heri Eood. — Eaids to Herat. — What Grodekoff saw in 1878.— The district ofthe 350 ruined villages. — Conduct of the Persian governors. — Colonel Baker stops a meditated raid against the Tekkes. — A man murdered for his carpet.* — Crucifying Turcomans. — Making targets of them. — Impaling them alive. — Noor Verdi's daughter ravished. — Persian treachery. — How the raids might be checked. — Abominable government of Persia. — Baker's plan for safeguarding the border. — McGregor's ditto. — The fate of the successful man in Persia. — Gouging out the eyes of Turcomans in Khiva. — Shooting Turcomans by the order of Eussian courts-martial. — Eunning down pirates in the Caspian. — The bloodthirsty campaign of Kaufmann. — Massacre of Turcoman children and the outraging of women by Cossacks. — The spirited Circassian style. — The bombardment of 5,000 women and children at Dengeel Tepe. — How England may be conquered in India. — Conolly concludes a chapter of horrors CHAPTEE XIII.

Slavery among the Turcomans. Feelings of a Persian slave. — Bondsmen in chains. — Torture of Persians. — Sufferings of kidnapped men. — A sight in the Atrek region. — Eeturn of a kidnapping party with their prey. — Dreadful scenes. — The modern slave trade. — Sufferings of slaves in crossing the desert. — The song of the poor " Guzl-baash." — Burnes' encounter with Persian slaves bound for Bokhara. — Slave life in the Central Asian khanates. — Narratives of slaves. — Searching for lost friends in Central Asia. — Persia and the suppression of the slave trade. — Fifteen thousand mounted robbers. — A shocking spectacle in the slave market of Bokhara. — Treatment of slaves in Bokhara. — Their value. — How slaves used to ransom themselves in Khiva. — Slaves at Merv. — The slave trade past and CONTENTS.

XVI PAGE 233 present. — The Turcomans and Persian maidens. — Our responsibility for the prevalence of slavery in Afghanistan. — Turcoman arguments in favour of the slave trade. — How a dervish tricked a Tekke who had robbed him of his liberty ....•■••• CHAPTEE XIV. History of Merv. Petroosevitch on the position of Merv. — Burnes' summary of its history. — Astonishing fertility of the oasis. — Early divisions of Central Asia. — The poet Moore on Merv. — Milton's mention of Merv. — Arab occupation of the city. — Central Asia subject to Merv. — The VeUed Prophet of Khorassan. — Conquest of Merv by the Mongols and terrible slaughter of the inhabitants. — Two centuries of obscurity. — Its successive capture by Uzbeks, Persians, and Bokharans. — The final destruction of Merv by the Emir Murad. — The Mervi. — Burnes' account of the Khivan campaign against Merv. — The desert march from Khiva. — Massacre of the garrison. — The Khivan war of 1855 against Merv. — Death of Khan Medemi. — The disastrous Persian campaign of 1861. — Twenty-five thousand Persians captured by 3,000 Tekkes. — Opinions of Grodekoff, Baker, and Vambery on the campaign. — The fate of the Persian general. — Merv for ever lost to Persia 253 CHAPTEE XV.

Modern Merv, and its Strategical Importance. Commercial position of the oasis. — A description of it. — The soil and river. — Wonderful fertility. — Eevenue derived from it by the Khivans. — The castle of Merv. — The remains of the ancient cities. — The aspect and extent of the ruins. — Mounds above the bones of Turcoman warriors. — A description of the Moorgab or Merv Daria. — The destruction of the dam by Shah Murad. — The climate of Merv. — General Petroosevitch's account of the Merv of to-day. — Peculiar sand-fogs. — Bad harvests. — Camels killed by flies. — Kostenko's military description of Merv. — Its fortresses and cannon. — Military power CONTENTS. XVII PAGE 292 of the Tekke Turcomans. — Various opinions as to the importance of Merv. — Grodekoff s assertion that Merv is not the key of Herat. — Baker's assertion that it is. — McGregor's view of the matter. — Iskander Khan's opinion of Merv and a Eussian advance thence to Herat. — The necessity of taking Merv out of the region of uncertainty. — Threat of the Tekkes to migrate to Afghanistan. — Resume of the negotiations of England and Bussia regarding Merv. — The Czar gives a promise to Lord Dufferin not to occupy Merv. — Value of the promise ......... 268 CHAPTEE XVI.

The Perso-Turcoman Frontier. Geographical account of Khorassan. — The border provinces of Deregez, Kuchan, and Budjnurd. — The eastern frontier and the Heri Eood. — The district of 440 ruined villages. — Azerbijan in danger. — The thin edge of a Eussian wedge between Herat and Meshed. — Tekkes in Kelat. — Kurdish colonies. — Karri Kala and Nookhoor : Persia's claim to both contested. — Captain Napier's visit to Karri Kala. — The settlements of the Akhal Tekkes. — The magnificent region of the Goklan Turcomans, now practically a Eussian possession. — Petroosevitch's peep at Askabat. — The rise and fall of the Tedjend. — The region between Akhal and Merv. — Colonization of the Tedjend district. — Fine climate and soil of the border provinces. — The granary of Khorassan. — An account of the inhabitants. — Their numbers. — Petroosevitch's denial of Bawliiison's views respecting the impossibility of invading Merv from Akhal. — Sarakhs proved to be of no value. — A direct march from Askabat to Merv superior to an advance vid Sarakhs. — The conquest of Merv not so difficult as the conquest of Khiva. — Persia a Power of no account. — The Shah powerless to prevent an occupation of Merv. — English agents on the Turcoman border ...... b CONTENTS.

XVIII PAGE 816 CHAPTEE XVII. The Conquest of the Turcomans and the Colonization of the Transcaspian Steppes. Petroosevitch's account of the depredations of tlie Turcomans against Eussia and her feudatories. — Eavages in Afghanistan. — The occupation of Krasnovodsk a cause of the cessation of Yomood forays. — Piracy in the Caspian suppressed by Eussia. — Persia's pacification of the Goklans. — Siege and capture of Karri Kala. — The Tekkes masters of the desert. — The reason why the Sarik Turcomans do not raid to Khiva. — Persia unable to protect her soil. — Imbecility of the Persian Government and cowardice of the troops. — Defeat of the Governor at Astrabad. — The intolerable incapacity of his successors. — Effect of the conquest of Khiva upon the Tekkes of Merv. — Cruel torture of captives. — The great famine of 1871. — Desire of the people of Khorassan to become subjects of Eussia. — Forces of the border chiefs. — Extraordinary venality of Persian officials. — Negotiations between the Shah of Persia and the Tekkes of Merv. — Eussia cannot allow Persia to assume a Protectorate over the Tekkes. — Turcoman outrages against Eussia. — Baron Tornau on Turkmenia. — Colonization of the steppes. — Decadence of cattle-rearingin Eussia. — Need of more pasture-land. — Irrigation of the Aral-Caspian region possible. — Bussia's advance eastward. — Future of Turkmenia. — A water-way from St. Petersburg to the Afghan cities of Koondooz and Balkh. — The face of Central Asia likely to be completely changed by the transfer of the Oxus to its ancient bed .....

CHAPTEE XVIII. The Khorassan Question, with which is incorporated the Merv Question. Part I. — Merv. A greater question than that of Merv. — A plea for the poor Khorassani. — Bussia's right to annex Akhal and Merv. — - A defence of Eussia against the feuds of the Turcomans. — A regime of failure and ferocity. — Bussia's relations with tlie Turcomans. — Too late for England to save Akhal. — The seizure of the border region of Khorassan. CONTENTS. XIX PAGE 337 359 — Bussia's right to conquer Merv. — The impotence of modern Persia and the impossibility of a Persian Protectorate over the Turcomans. — The future of Persia. — Eesults of a conquest of Merv. — Eussia drawn by inexorable force of circumstances to Herat and Can dahar. — Khorassan annexed to Eussia. — The Cossacks in Meshed. — English policy in the East. — What the con quest of Merv really means. — A new aspect of Krija novsky's famous speech .......

CHAPTEE XIX. The Khorassan Question, with which is incorporated the Merv Question. 1'art II. — Meshed. The direct road of invasion to India. — Bussia's opinion of the power of England in India. —Absolute certainty of a future invasion. — Plans of conquest. — The expedition of 1878 to seize Herat. — Merv not in the path to India. — Gladstone's gammon. — Khruloff 's plan of invasion annotated. — Description of the route from the Caspian to Candahar. — An account of the armies traversing it. — Kaufmann's inarch in 1880. — Eussia's enormous progress in 25 years statistically displayed. — The annexations in Khorassan.— The Secret Treaty of May 31, 1878.— European colonists at Meshed. — Sobeleff on the strategical value of Herat. — England's divine right to occupy Afghanistan. — Impossibility of maintaining a barrier between Eussia and India. — The English empire. — A plea for the amelioration of Party Government. — England's best man for solving the Central Asia Question .

CHAPTEE XX. The Storming of Geok Tepe. Skobeleff's appointment to the Transcaspian command. — March from Fort Douz Oloum. — Bami fortified. — Beconnaissance of Geok Tepe. — The autumnal raids. — Sanguinary action near Kazantchik. — The campaign commences. — Occupation of Samoursk. — Kourapatkiu's ride from Samarcand to Geok Tepe. — Battle of December CONTENTS. XX PAGE 24th.— Storming of Yangi Kala.— Sorties from Dengeel Tepe. — Eeconnaisance by Petroosevitch. — Laying the first parallel — Petroosevitch killed. — Terrible losses. — Second parallel laid. — A sortie. — Third parallel laid. — Bombardment of the aoul. — The camp moved. — San guinary conflicts. — A truce to bury the dead. — Springing the mines. — Storming and capture of the aoul. — Com parison of losses. — More men killed at Geok Tepe than in all previous sieges and battles in Central Asia. — Occupation of Askabat. — The oasis of Akhal conquered. — Corpulent complacency of the Duke of Argyll. — A mendacious statement ....... 384