"A. E. Merritt - Dwellers in the mirage" - читать интересную книгу автора (Merritt A. E)

They halted a dozen feet from me. Three walked close up and stood,
studying me. The eyes of these three were a peculiar grey-blue; those
of the one who seemed to be their captain singularly cold. They were
bigger, taller men than the others.

I did not know the Uighur. I gave them polite salutations in the
Kirghiz. They did not answer, maintaining their close scrutiny. Finally
they spoke among themselves, nodding as though they had come to some
decision.

The leader then addressed me. As I stood up, I saw that he was not many
inches under my own six feet four. I told him, again in the Kirghiz,
that I did not know his tongue. He gave an order to his men. They
surrounded my tent, standing like guards, spears at rest beside them,
their wicked long-swords drawn.

At this my temper began to rise, but before I could protest the leader
began to speak to me in the Kirghiz. He assured me, with deference,
that their visit was entirely peaceful, only they did not wish their
contact with me to be disturbed by any of my companions. He asked if I
would show him my hands. I held them out. He and his two comrades bent
over the palms, examining them minutely, pointing to a mark or a
crossing of lines. This inspection ended, the leader touched his
forehead with my right hand.

And then to my complete astonishment, he launched without explanation


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into what was a highly intelligent lesson in the Uighur tongue. He took
the Kirghiz for the comparative language. He did not seem to be
surprized at the ease with which I assimilated the tuition; indeed, I
had a puzzled idea that he regarded it as something to be expected. I
mean that his manner was less that of teaching me a new language, than
of recalling to me one I had forgotten. The lesson lasted for a full
hour. He then touched his forehead again with my hand, and gave a
command to the ring of guards. The whole party walked to their horses
and galloped off.

There had been something disquieting about the whole experience. Most
disquieting was my own vague feeling that my tutor, if I had read
correctly his manner, had been right--that I was not learning a new
tongue but one I had forgotten. Certainly I never picked up any
language with such rapidity and ease as I did the Uighur.

The rest of my party had been perplexed and apprehensive, naturally. I
went immediately to them, and talked the matter over. Our ethnologist
was the famous Professor David Barr, of Oxford. Fairchild was inclined