The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

as within the competence of their knowledgeable guide, however, and when the Migration to America 183 Mennonites later looked back on their journey, they were full of praise for Kardijigit’s services. He could easily have betrayed the defenseless wanderers to nomadic bandits, but he took pride in doing his duty. '* As always, the children suffered most from the privations and dangers of the journey. One little boy fell beneath the wheels of a wagon, which crushed his chest. But after his broken ribs were set and oil and lard applied to his injuries, the little fellow enjoyed a mirac- ulous recovery. Other children were not so fortunate. Of the two ba- bies born in the desert, one died after a few weeks." As the trip passed the halfway mark they began seeing Kirghiz tent villages along the road. How happy they were to see people, for they had not seen native inhabitants for several weeks. As they passed by, the friendly nomads came to the wagons to talk and bring fermented camel's milk, or kumys, as a hospitable gesture to the weary Mennonites. Almost 500 miles from Kungrad, with much of the distance through deep shifting sand, they reached Karakamish just before Pentecost Sunday. In this half-native, half-Russian town they observed the days of the religious holiday. From Karakamish, J. K. Penner and Jacob Toews went ahead to begin arranging passports in Orenburg. In order to make it to that city as fast as possible, Widow Klaassen loaned them her easily maneuverable one-horse buggy. After the wagon train passed Ak Tube on June 1, they found good roads to Ilgtzaya Tash- chita. Here they were all invited to see a salt mine in which stood a solid wall of clear white salt 80 feet high. They were much impressed by the phenomenon of nature." Finally, after some eight weeks of traveling, they reached Oren- burg on June 8. Their trip of over 820 miles lasted 53 days, with 32 spent in driving and 21 resting.!® Camping along the Ural River in a grove of trees, they remembered the area as their previous halting place on the road to Turkestan years earlier.” Continued rain and wind made the stay a muddy one, however, since they could not obtain housing in Orenburg.?! Moreover, the officials in the city were slow to act upon their requests for passports owing to the death of the govenor-general of Orenburg, the customary period of mourning, and the search for a new govenor. Three separate times they telegraphed St. Petersburg for assistance, but no help came. They remained stranded in Orenburg for more than two months.” With their brethren unwillingly delayed in Orenburg, the worried 184 The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites Mennonites in the United States began a petitioning campaign. A passionate appeal for help first went to Governor James W. Dawes of Nebraska and then even to United States Secretary of State Fre- linghuysen. It is not known if these petitions had any impact, but state and fed