How the Khirghiz Family Moves.—A Khirghiz migration is an interesting sight. At dawn a group of tents stands on the green turf at the base of a high cliff. An hour later the tenth have been pulled down by the women, while the men have started on the day's journey with the slow-moving sheep. A five-year old child leads a snarling camel to the pile of felts, poles, and lattice where his mother has just pulled down the tent. A jerk on the rope tied to a pin in the crea ture's nose makes it kneel in spite of its fierce snarls. The mother and an older boy tie the tent poles, a box or two, and some bags and rugs on the animal's back. A big sister fastens some wooccn bowls and some sheepskins of sour milk and cheese on one side, and on the other ties the baby's cradle. The baby is put into the cradle, a big rug is tied firmly over it, and the camel, grunting and complaining, is led away to take his place at the head of a string of other camels. The mother and all the children down to the five-year old youngster follow on horseback. By nightfall the tents are set up ten or fifteen miles away and the new encampment looks as comfortable as the old.
The Work of Cattle Herding.—The life of the cattle herder is sometimes easy and at others very strenuous. Some of the men go out with the sheep and sit around all day doing nothing except occasionally bring back a straying sheep. Others on horseback, round up the cattle or yaks to see if all are on hand and perhaps to pick out one for sale; still others, with nooses tied to the end of what look like fishing poles, gallop off to catch horses when more are needed.
Occasionally, however, the Khirghiz must ride all day to recover stray animals. Wolves must sometimes be fought, while during the great snow storms the sheep must be carried to safety, one by one. Thus the Khirghiz men are forced to tremendous exertions for a while. They come back to the tents so tired that they lie down and do almost nothing for days. As the women milk the animals and do all the routine work the occupation of herding tends to make the men lazy. They laugh at the danger of fording a roaring torrent, which makes the city man pale, but they do not know how to stick to hard, steady work, for their occupation does not require it.
Why Manufacturing and Commerce are Backward.—This lack of steadfastness, the difficulties of transportation, the isolation, and the lack of other incentives cause Khirghiz industries and commerce to be poorly developed. The women weave, or rather knot; beautiful rugs of wool, which are prized even in Europe and America for their harmonious colors and pleasing patterns. The women also make gay felts by beating wool of various colors into a firm waterproof mass; the skins of animals are tanned; and a few other simple opera tions are carried on. From the materials available to pastoral nomads, the Khirghiz make the things that they need and can easily carry, but that is the limit of industrial development.
Commerce is equally backward. In the autumn droves of sheep, horses, and camels, and perhaps a few cattle are driven to a distant town for sale. Flour, cloth, guns, and other small articles are brought back. Even in these simple transactions—their only commercial dealings—the nomads are frequently cheated by the city men, for though the Khirghiz dare traverse the most narrow and dangerous trails, their daily life gives them no skill in the art of buying and selling.
Are the Khirghiz Efficient?—It is not easy to measure the efficiency of the Khirghiz. So far as we can determine, the Turanian race to which they belong probably stands lower in mental power than does either the white race or the yellow Mongolian race to which the Chinese belong. We have seen also that their occupation tends to make the Khirghiz lazy and inefficient. As to health no figures are available, hut the Khirghiz are probably not long-lived. They seem strong and hearty, however, and the outdoor occupation of both men and women as well as the life in the open tents is certainly beneficial. How valuable these are is evident when the Khirghiz move to the Russian villages and live in close stuffy houses. Under such circumstance!: their health suffers at once. Even when living out-of-doors the Khirghiz have some disadvantages. The winter is so long, cold, and monotonous, that it saps their vitality. Little fires of the dried dung of cattle are the only help against the cold. The cool summer, however, is excellent, except that there is a good deal of exposure to dampness and chills.
The Exhilarating Recreation of the Herders.—That the Khir ghiz are strong, hardy people is evident from their favorite games. In one of these the players are on horseback. Their object is to see who can skin a dead calf and carry off the hide in spite of the attempt of the others to pull it away and skin it themselves. At first the calf is thrown on the ground in the midst of a circle of riders. At the word everyone whips his horse into the center and all lean over and try to pick up the dead animal. The one who finally gets it darts out of the plunging, kicking group of horses, throws his leg over the calf and whips out his knife to begin skinning it as he rides. The horses gallop furiously, the men shout wildly, and one thinks that half the band of riders will be killed. Finally a skillful rival overtakes the leader, yanks the calf from under his leg, and goes on with the skin ning. The same thing soon happens to the rival; and so it goes until someone dares gallop down a treacherous slope or ford a rushing river, and thus get far enough away from the rest to pull the skin off, and thus win the prize. Such a game is as good a recreation as could be devised, for it gives health, strength, and good sport, and also efficiency in the hardest part of the herder's occupation.