the first place, it is necessary that it should be distinctly understood
that of the events that occurred in Kashgaria between the death of the
Athalik Ghazi and the final advance of the Chinese army we are really
without any definite intelligence at all, and it is not probable that
we shall ever be accurately informed of the course of events during
those five months. In the absence of exact _data_, we must assume the
events to have taken place which are most in accordance with
probability. On Yakoob Beg's death, his eldest son, Beg Kuli Beg, was
either in the city of Kashgar or somewhere on the road thither. It is
probable that he had been despatched to the rear, to bring up
reinforcements after the defeat at Turfan, and in his absence Hacc Kuli
Beg, the Ameer's second son, assumed the command of the army when his
father died. It is certain that he accompanied the funeral cortege of
Yakoob Beg back to Kashgar, and that he was murdered outside the walls
by his brother. It was during this time that Hakim Khan Torah appeared
upon the scene. It should be remembered that tidings of the death of
Yakoob Beg travelled very slowly to this country, and that almost
immediately after it arrived we received intelligence of events that had
occurred many weeks after the death of the Ameer. We were therefore
hearing at the same time the particulars of the circumstances of Yakoob
Beg's death, and of those commotions which broke out some weeks after
that event.

When Hacc Kuli Beg left Korla no personal representative remained there
of the dynasty of the Athalik Ghazi, and during that interval the
occasion arose for the intriguing elements that a mixed court, such as
that of Yakoob Beg, could never be free from. Hakim Khan seized that
opportunity, and established his authority in Karashar, Korla, and,
probably, Kucha also; and during a short time Kashgaria was accordingly
divided into three hostile camps. It appears that Beg Bacha, lulled into
a false sense of security by the inactivity of the Chinese, resolved to
chastise the insolence of his rebellious governor, a task which he
should have left for the Chinese. A war then broke out between Beg Bacha
and Hakim Khan, which exhausted the few resources that still remained to
a ruler of Kashgar. The contest appears to have been of a desultory
nature, and although the final result was in favour of Beg Bacha, he
never appears to have recovered possession of Karashar and Korla. In the
neighb