e been seen. Arabs, having the
primitive type of the beautiful Semitic races; and Turcomans, with eyes
which looked as if they had lost the pupil,--all enrolled under the
Emir's flag, the flag of incendiaries and devastators.

Among these free soldiers were a certain number of slave soldiers,
principally Persians, commanded by officers of the same nation, and they
were certainly not the least esteemed of Feofar-Khan's army.

If to this list are added the Jews, who acted as servants, their robes
confined with a cord, and wearing on their heads instead of the turban,
which is forbidden them, little caps of dark cloth; if with these
groups are mingled some hundreds of "kalenders," a sort of religious
mendicants, clothed in rags, covered by a leopard skin, some idea may be
formed of the enormous agglomerations of different tribes included under
the general denomination of the Tartar army.

Nothing could be more romantic than this picture, in delineating which
the most skillful artist would have exhausted all the colors of his
palette.

Feofar's tent overlooked the others. Draped in large folds of a
brilliant silk looped with golden cords and tassels, surmounted by tall
plumes which waved in the wind like fans, it occupied the center of a
wide clearing, sheltered by a grove of magnificent birch and pine trees.
Before this tent, on a japanned table inlaid with precious stones, was
placed the sacred book of the Koran, its pages being of thin gold-leaf
delicately engraved. Above floated the Tartar flag, quartered with the
Emir's arms.

In a semicircle round the clearing stood the tents of the great
functionaries of Bokhara. There resided the chief of the stables, who
has the right to follow the Emir on horseback even into the court of
his palace; the grand falconer; the "housch-begui," bearer of the
royal seal; the "toptschi-baschi," grand master of the artillery; the
"khodja," chief of the council, who receives the prince's kiss, and
may present himself before him with his girdle untied; the
"scheikh-oul-islam," chief of the Ulemas, representing the priests; the
"cazi-askev," who, in the Emir's absence settles all disputes raised
among the soldiers; and lastly, the chief of the astrologers, whose
great business is to consult the stars every time the Khan thinks of
changing his quarters.

When the prisoners were brought into the camp, the Emir was in his tent.
He did not show himself. This was fortunate, no doubt. A sign