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

for street construction. So hazardous were the working conditions that two Men- nonite men were almost killed when the bank of a deep pit caved in.” Kaufmann, however, continued to evince his sympathetic atti- tude toward the Mennonites, even paying $1,500 out of his own pocket for court costs in registering the Mennonites as citizens.’ The Chinese Community To escape the noise and congestion of the Russian Exhibition Ground, some of the Tashkent Mennonites moved from their barracks home to a spot adjacent to the Sart section of the city. Here 50 Chinese families lived directly across the street. The Chinese had many customs that puzzled the Mennonites: one in particular was the bind- ing of little girls’ feet. When the curious newcomers asked them why they did this, it was explained that it was an honor for women Trouble and Dispersion of the Brethren 107 to have small feet. The Chinese girls, in turn, asked the Mennonite girls why they had such big feet! The Mennonite girls, not under- standing this strict Chinese custom, told the young girls that their feet were larger so that they could run, jump, and play. This answer apparently disturbed the Chinese girls so much that they openly criticized the custom imposed upon them by their parents. One Chinese girl, who became acquainted with Elizabeth Unruh, the daughter of Cornelius Unruh, confided to her that she did not want small feet. Consequently, her elderly grandmother, feeling the Men- nonites were leading her astray, did not allow her to associate with them any longer. When the Mennonite girls attempted to see her, they heard her crying and moaning because of the tightened bandages. Angrily the grandmother told them to never come to her home. They never saw her again.® Typhoid Fever Epidemic As the Mennonites were getting acquainted with new peoples and customs, a terrible epidemic struck the brethren both in Kaplan Bek and Tashkent. The disease had apparently been brought to Kaplan Bek by several people in the first wagon train. Others soon began running a fever and suffered from severe diarrhea. A young woman in the first group died, and many others became extremely ill. In all, of the first ten families to settle in Kaplan Bek, 26 people died. At first, the surgeon major of the local army unit ascribed the disease to wet walls and damp quarters. But then the district surgeon, alarmed by the deaths and illness, came and pro- nounced it to be typhoid fever. Hearing this, the Russians feared a widespread epidemic and ordered all 22 families to go to the army supply headquarters for tents so that they could be moved outside the town limits and be quarantined.’ This order was hurriedly issued on a Saturday, and the Mennonites had to pick up their tents promptly on Monday morning. In the meantime the more seriously ill were taken to Tashkent for treatment. The Mennonites could not understand the reason for the quarantine in tents becau