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Roborovsky in Tien-Shan.
By order of the Russian Geographical society, I began to organize a scientific expedition in Central Asia. I already was familiar from his previous travels with the study of Central Asian countries and had to prepare the equipment for the expedition.
Preparations for the expedition took a lot of trouble. I assisted in the preparation of the expedition of P. K. Kozlov, senior non-commissioned officer Gabriel Ivanov. A lot of equipment helped me to find it in Kyakhta and send it to Prizhevalsk.
The main headquarters of the Russian army supplied the necessary expedition for the survey instruments and materials, the azimuths Smalkalden, three aerodome Naudet, two barometers Parrot and spare tubes; astronomical pipe for observation, Boxing-Frodsham chronometer.
The Russian Geographical society acquired for the expedition is a small versatile tool of Hildebrandt for astronomical observations to determine the magnetic declination. For the preparation of the skins of animals and birds were purchased knives, tweezers, brushes, alum, cotton and hemp for the manufacture of stuffed birds.
For the conservation of reptiles and fish were prepared wooden boxes, worked with N. M. Przewalski and M. V. Pevtsov. For catching fish were prepared fishing rods, nets and small Seine nets, for catching snakes - big tweezers.
The train started. Relatives and friends accompanied me and our expedition and wished us good things and good health. After leaving Moscow, by the railroad we arrived in Sevastopol. Next, through the Black sea to Batum, drove out of the Transcaucasian railroad through Tiflis to Baku.
Here we boarded a ship and crossed the Caspian sea, arrived in the port of Uzun-Ada. Here we boarded a train of the Caspian railway, drove past Bukhara, Samarkand. From Samarkand we arrived by horses in Tashkent.
I arrived in Przhevalsk may 20. In Przhevalsk, we stopped at the house of Kashgar elder, in which the expedition N. M. Przhevalsky awaited the start of her expedition. In Przhevalsk, we were warmly greeted by a nice and good friends.
Daily, early in the morning we training shoot by Berdan gun. In Przhevalsk, we invited new people to participate in the expedition of the Chinese interpreter Veniamin Ladygin, senior non-commissioned officer Gabriel Ivanov, the constable Semirechensk Cossack army Nikolay Shestakov, senior constable Badma Bainov, a Junior constable Semen Jarkoy and Kazak Gantip Buyantuyev, corporal ZInoiy Smirnov, arrows Yefim Voroshilov and Pavel Zamuraev, laboratory Kurilovich and employee Kataev, just the expedition was consist 13 people.
14 of June in morning, we visited the grave of our teacher Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky on the Issyk-Kul lake. We went from Przhevalsk 15 of June. Good friends accompanied us on for a long journey.
From Przhevalsk we entered to Aksu village, were was seven miles. The road stretches along the North side of the mountains, right in the foothills of the Terskey Ala-too. To the North is a wide river valley Jargalan, which is bordered by lake Issyk-Kul.
Behind it is a mountain Kungei Ala-too, is covered by forests. We visited hot springs Arashan, were we took a bath. After the village of Aksu, we passed through the valley of the river Jargalan and reached the village Gerges close to the road.
Gerges old village with nice houses. The road runs along the left Bank of the Jargalan river. Jargalan river is divided into several branches, through which built bridges. From here begins the ascent to the pass Santash.
The road goes in a picturesque gorge, covered with fir forests. Further along the way we met Kyrgyz villages, were offered koumiss, milk, yogurt. To pass Santash was 2 miles of lovely road. The descent from the pass was simple and took us to the Tup river which is flowing into Issyk-Kul lake .
The mountain opened, and we entered a wide tract of Tash-Bulak (The Stone Springs). We walked through beautiful forests and meadows, where grazed thousands of cattle of the Kyrgyz nomads.
We saw a wonderful picture of the upper valley of the Ili river, separated from the South steep dark forest Saryjaz mountains. Here we met Alpine meadows, shrubs and trees - Alpine willow (Salix sp.), saxifrage (Saxifraga sp.), Corydalis (Corydalis sp.), terracaching (flower here: androsace sp.), Krupka (Draba.
In the spruce forest we saw a willow (Salix sp.), Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), honeysuckle (Lonicera sp. sp.), bird cherry (Prunus padus), barberry (Berberis sp.), cotoneaster (Соtoneaster nigra), hawthorn (Crataegus sp.), red currant (Ribes rubrum).
In the meadows we met ostracising (Oxytropis sp. sp.), asters (Aster sp. sp.), hellebore (Veratrum sp.), elecampane (Inula sp.), Aconite (Aconitum sp.), sorrel (Rumex sp.), geranium (Geranium sp.), the catchment (Thalictrum sp.), Jacob's ladder (Polemonium sp.), clover (Trifolium sp.), onion (Allium sp.), grasses (Gramineae sp. sp.), buttercups (Ranunculus sp.), the yellow and orange poppy (Papaver 2 sp.), globe flower (Trollius sp.) and others.
The descent into the valley of the Tekes. By mountain road along the Bain-Gol river, we passed through two mountain passes. The Bain-Gol river very big. The river valley is narrow. Near the river we saw a badger (Meles sp.).
Soon we came to the Hunter village, which is the last to the East. The village is situated on Tekes wide valley, in to ten miles from the North end of the famous in the Tien-Shan group of Khan-Tengri.
In the village live Semirechensk Cossacks troops are always drunk, lazy and dissolute. In Narynkol village lived a chief. There are barracks and a picket of 20 people of the Siberian Cossack troops.
With the nearest Chinese picket Sumbe came a few soldiers-Kalmyks from the Chinese chief, who invited us to visit them. I showed my passport from Beijing Zong-Li-Amina, but Kalmyks couldn't read, I gave him a gift and we moved on.
Authority:
The book «Travel in east Tien Shan and in Nyan-Shan». 1949.
The picture from:
The book «Travel in east Tien Shan and in Nyan-Shan». 1949.