DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5542#0225
214
FLOCKS OF AUGUSTUS.
[Chap, xliii.
followers. Having secured a konak, I walked down in the
evening to the encampment to examine the Pacha's horses,
but only saw one chesnut colt worth looking at. It was indeed
a busy scene : the numerous attendants were striking and
packing up their tents, feeding and cleaning their horses,
and loading the baggage, the Pacha being about to start;
for he Avas a sensible man, who did not care about seeing
the country, and therefore travelled during the cool of the
night. On my way back to the konak the flocks of the vil-
lage were returning from their pastures, and an active and
busy scene of milking was going on outside the village; the
inhabitants appeared to live entirely on the produce of their
sheep, perhaps the descendants of the three hundred flocks
which Amyntas the Tetrarch possessed in Lycaonia*
Tuesday, July 4.—We started for Kara Bounar, nine
hours distant, at half-past five, and continued for some way
along the same flat plain as yesterday, the hills approach-
ing nearer as we advanced. On both sides of the road
were many vultures, eagles, and dogs, which had been
feasting on the carcase of a horse left behind by the pil-
grims the preceding night. These scavengers of the desert
were so gorged with their prey that they were scarcely able
to escape when I attempted to fire at them— they would rise
with difficulty and fly about a hundred yards. At nine,
after crossing a low ridge of hills, consisting of horizontal
beds of compact white silicious limestone connected with
the high hills on our left, we came in sight of the volcanoes
of Kara Bounar. I distinctly made out three large and
perfectly smooth truncated cones, besides many smaller and
rugged. After nine the mirage came on again, and I was
quite deceived, although prepared for the illusion; 1 fancied
1 saw a deep blue lake before me, with the image of the
hills beyond reflected on its surface.
Our road led us past several wells, and over a succession
of low hills, from the last of which I had a good view of the
volcanic district. A long line of low rugged hills appeared
* Sti'ab. xii. p. 568.
FLOCKS OF AUGUSTUS.
[Chap, xliii.
followers. Having secured a konak, I walked down in the
evening to the encampment to examine the Pacha's horses,
but only saw one chesnut colt worth looking at. It was indeed
a busy scene : the numerous attendants were striking and
packing up their tents, feeding and cleaning their horses,
and loading the baggage, the Pacha being about to start;
for he Avas a sensible man, who did not care about seeing
the country, and therefore travelled during the cool of the
night. On my way back to the konak the flocks of the vil-
lage were returning from their pastures, and an active and
busy scene of milking was going on outside the village; the
inhabitants appeared to live entirely on the produce of their
sheep, perhaps the descendants of the three hundred flocks
which Amyntas the Tetrarch possessed in Lycaonia*
Tuesday, July 4.—We started for Kara Bounar, nine
hours distant, at half-past five, and continued for some way
along the same flat plain as yesterday, the hills approach-
ing nearer as we advanced. On both sides of the road
were many vultures, eagles, and dogs, which had been
feasting on the carcase of a horse left behind by the pil-
grims the preceding night. These scavengers of the desert
were so gorged with their prey that they were scarcely able
to escape when I attempted to fire at them— they would rise
with difficulty and fly about a hundred yards. At nine,
after crossing a low ridge of hills, consisting of horizontal
beds of compact white silicious limestone connected with
the high hills on our left, we came in sight of the volcanoes
of Kara Bounar. I distinctly made out three large and
perfectly smooth truncated cones, besides many smaller and
rugged. After nine the mirage came on again, and I was
quite deceived, although prepared for the illusion; 1 fancied
1 saw a deep blue lake before me, with the image of the
hills beyond reflected on its surface.
Our road led us past several wells, and over a succession
of low hills, from the last of which I had a good view of the
volcanic district. A long line of low rugged hills appeared
* Sti'ab. xii. p. 568.