APPENDIX
Reading edition
A SERAI
BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT
(SUGGESTED BY KERMIT SAYING TO ME WHILE WE SAT IN THE SERAI AT SHAMBA BAZAAR THAT PERHAPS MARCO POLO HAD BEEN THERE)
The day is gently drawing to a close; The caravan, slow-plodding through the dusk, With tinkling bells and creaking leather, Leaves the rough jungle by the broad brown river And turns into the cultivated land. It jogs along by fields, bright green, mud-walled And fringed with shimmering willows, Which look to be embroidered on the landscape Like figures in some ancient tapestry. At length the dusty column sights a village Whose rough gray walls are set in lofty poplars Which seem to stroke the sky with slender fingers. Down the long street it jingles, Through the bazaar where ill-wove matting roofs Add to the gathering gloom; Where smells of every sort hang in the air, And bare, brown babies splash in muddy gutters. At last the dingy old serai is reached. The tired ponies pass its battered gate, Then packs are stripped and all is wild confusion; Shouted commands and loud and shrill abuse, And stallions neighing, blend in one great babble. And now the horses fed, the baggage piled, The fires begin to glow, and round them gather Dim half-seen figures in the flickering light, Who squat and eat and puff their gurgling hookahs. Now in a near-by stall a singer twangs On some stringed instrument of old design, And drones an endless plaintive melody. Out on the near-by roofs the women steal,— Black silent figures ’gainst the flat gray sky. So comes the night, and so has come the night Through dim unreckoned countless generations To those who travel the old trails of Asia. In this same way old Marco the Venetian travelled, And even then the trails were very old. So Asia does, so she has done since time, And when our great hotels are piles of stones And all our railroads briar-grown embankment, So Asia still will do.
APPENDIX
The following is an itinerary of the expedition from the time we arrived at Srinagar to the day we returned. The mileage is necessarily only approximate, for we had to depend upon information from the natives of the country and check it up roughly with our estimated speed and the number of hours spent in marching. The place names are in general spelled as they sounded when repeated to us, so they are, of course, subject to revision upon the opinion of any hearer.
MILES DATE
Srinagar 12 Gandabal May 19
17 Camp (near Gund) ” 20
12 Camp (near Sonamurg) ” 21
18 Baltal ” 22
(Zoji Pass) 14 Camp ” 24
18 Draz ” 25
22 Shimsa Kharbu ” 26
16 Kargil ” 27
22 Mulbekh ” 28
15 Bod Kharbu ” 29
15 Lamayuru ” 30
17 Nurla June 1
25 Nimoo ” 2
12 Leh ” 3
10 Camp near Pass ” 6
(Khardong Pass) 18 Khardong ” 7
14 Karsar ” 8
14 Taghar ” 9
15 Panamik ” 10
14 Choong Loong ” 13
12 Tutyalak ” 14
13 Camp at foot of Saser Glacier ” 17
(Saser Pass) 10 Brangza Saser ” 18
16 Remo Glacier ” 19
24 Murgu ” 20
20 Kizil Tash ” 21
23 Daulat Beg Oldi ” 22
(Karakoram Pass) 22 Brangsa ” 23
12 Camp ” 24
24 Chibra ” 25
(Suget Pass) 25 Camp ” 26
6 Suget Karaul ” 27
16 Ulbek (Kara Kash River) ” 28
22 Camp at foot of Bostan Valley ” 29
20 Ali Nazar Khurgan ” 30
(Sanju Pass) 20 Ayalak July 1
18 Akas Aghzi ” 3
12 Kivas ” 4
16 Sanju Bazar ” 5
24 Kosh Tagh ” 6
31 Bora ” 7
18 Karghalik ” 8
35 Posgam ” 10
24 Yarkand ” 11
26 Tograghi ” 14
25 Merket ” 15
25 Akadong ” 16
21 Khandi ” 17
28 Beyond Aksak Maral ” 18
27 Maralbashi ” 19
16 Char Bagh ” 20
21 Akh Tam ” 21
23 Yakka Kudak ” 22
28 Chillam ” 23
22 Hangoon ” 24
28 Yangi Shahr ” 25
4 Aksu ” 26
27 Jom ” 29
16 Arbat ” 30
22 Khurgan ” 31
18 Camp Aug. 1
22 Tango Tash ” 2
(Muzart Pass) 20 Khan Ayalak ” 3
25 Shutta ” 6
25 Agyas ” 7
30 Moin Tai ” 8
18 Kukteruk ” 9
17 Kooksu ” 10
18 Chungtai ” 11
16 Chin Bulak ” 12
20 Camp at head of Jilgalong Valley ” 13
20 Kargaitash ” 14
15 Camp on upper Kooksu ” 17
6 Kargaitash Creek ” 20
15 Muzdumas Creek ” 21
10 Camp ” 23
14 Kensu ” 24
12 Wapiti Camp ” 29
8 Camp at junction of Kensu and Kooksu Sept. 1
18 Camp ” 2
20 Lower Torotai Valley ” 3
25 Chilukteruk ” 4
22 Camp ” 5
16 Moin Tai ” 6
30 Agyas ” 9
8 Camp ” 10
33 Shutta ” 11
25 Khan Ayalak ” 12
(Muzart Pass) 20 Tango Tash ” 14
18 Khailak ” 15
20 Kizil Bulak ” 16
18 Jom ” 17
27 Aksu ” 19
20 Aikul ” 20
40 Chillam ” 21
28 Yakka Kudak ” 22
30 Toum Shouk ” 23
30 Maralbashi ” 24
30 Karakuchin ” 25
40 Kara Youlgoun ” 26
34 Faizabad ” 27
45 Kashgar ” 28
16 Tashmalik Oct. 3
15 Tookoi ” 4
20 Beyond Gezkaraul ” 5
25 Bulun Kul ” 6
15 Kichik Kara Kul ” 7
15 Subashi Nullah ” 9
16 Kara Su ” 12
24 Tagharma ” 14
17 Tashkurghan ” 15
20 Jurgal Gumbaz ” 16
20 Atjayloo ” 17
20 Payik Nullah ” 18
34 Khush Bel ” 21
(Killian Pass) 14 Mukurshi ” 22
16 Misgar ” 28
12 Gircha ” 24
25 Passu ” 25
22 Attabad ” 26
26 Minapin ” 27
17 Chalt ” 28
15 Nomal ” 29
17 Gilgit ” 30
35 Bunji ” 31
19 Mushkin Nov. 1
17 Astore ” 2
17 Gudai ” 3
16 Chillum Chauki ” 4
(Burzil Pass) 23 Minamarg ” 5
20 Gurez ” 6
13 Karagbal ” 7
(Tragbal or Raj-diangan Pass) 27 Bandipur ” 8
Srinagar ” 9