Perhaps some words have
dropped out. A good description of a Kirghiz hut (35 feet in diameter),
and exactly corresponding to Polo's account, will be found in Atkinson's
Siberia, and another in Vambery's Travels. How comfortable and
civilised the aspect of such a hut may be, can be seen also in Burnes's
account of a Turkoman dwelling of this kind. This description of hut or
tent is common to nearly all the nomade tribes of Central Asia. The
trellis-work forming the skeleton of the tent-walls is (at least among the
Turkomans) loosely pivoted, so as to draw out and compress like
"lazy-tongs."
[Illustration: Dressing up a tent.]
Rubruquis, Pallas, Timkowski, and others, notice the custom of turning the
door to the south; the reason is obvious. (Atkinson, 285; Vamb. 316;
Burnes, III. 51; Conolly, I. 96) But throughout the Altai, Mr. Ney
Elias informs me, K'alkas, Kirghiz, and Kalmaks all pitch their tents
facing east. The prevailing winter wind is there westerly.
[Mr. Rockhill (Rubruck, p. 56, note) says that he has often seen Mongol
tents facing east and south-east. He adds: "It is interesting to find it
noted in the Chou Shu (Bk. 50, 3) that the Khan of the Turks, who lived
always on the Tu-kin mountains, had his tent invariably facing south, so
as to show reverence to the sun's rising place." - H. C.]
NOTE 2. - Aeschylus already knows the
"wandering Scyths who dwell
In latticed huts high-poised on easy wheels."
(Prom. Vinct. 709-710.)
And long before him Hesiod says Phineus was carried by the Harpies -
"To the Land of the Milk-fed nations, whose houses are waggons."
(Strabo, vii. 3-9.)
Ibn Batuta describes the Tartar waggon in which he travelled to Sarai as
mounted on four great wheels, and drawn by two or more horses: -
"On the waggon is put a sort of pavilion of wands laced together with
narrow thongs. It is very light, and is covered with felt or cloth, and
has latticed windows, so that the person inside can look out without being
seen. He can change his position at pleasure, sleeping or eating, reading
or writing, during the journey." These waggons were sometimes of enormous
size. Rubruquis declares that he measured between the wheel-tracks of one
and found the interval to be 20 feet. The axle was like a ship's mast, and
twenty-two oxen were yoked to the waggon, eleven abreast. (See opposite
cut.) He describes the huts as not usually taken to pieces, but carried
all standing. The waggon just mentioned carried a hut of 30 feet diameter,
for it projected beyond the wheels at least 5 feet on either side. In
fact, Carpini says explicitly, "Some of the huts are speedily taken to
pieces and put up again; such are packed on the beasts. Others cannot be
taken to pieces, but are carried bodily on the waggons.
