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

the women and children. On either side of the one-humped dromedaries, bed-frame boxes were slung. These were then covered with linen to protect the occupant from the sun. These criblike affairs were 5 x 2 1/2 feet and were balanced on each side of the camel and tied together by ropes. Johann Jantzen loaded food supplies and a goat on one side and his wife and three children on the other and achieved perfect balance. His large horse could even pass under the contraptions, they were so high off the ground. On an- other camel, the ailing Michael Klaassen was placed on one side and his mother and sister on the other. All this provided quite a sight to the native population, as each camel driver led groups of 10-12 camels with their strange loads. About 30 Mennonite men on horse- back were to follow behind the strange procession. "* The experience of the two nights in the desert were unforget- table. On the evening of September 17, they passed old ruins on the desert and turned into the sand dunes, some of which were as much as 180 feet high. The party traveled at night, stopping at midnight for a two-hour rest, and navigated cautiously along a narrow caravan trail that usually followed the crest of the dunes. It was planned that the horses should follow the camel tracks to keep their footing. These nights passed silently except for an occasional cry of a camel or a driver, but were far brighter than usual. As the bed-frame boxes swayed back and forth along the crest of sand dunes overlooking clifflike inclines, a large comet, later called the Great Comet of 1882, whose tail reached halfway across the sky, shone very brightly. It was so bright, in fact, that one could read the songbooks and they sang songs such as ‘Our Journey Leads Through the Wilderness.”’ On this brief 156 The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites interlude a child was born, and one mother, Mrs. Graeve, became very ill. Looking back in later years the participants in this strange journey were grateful that no sandstorm or rainstorm had occured to complicate their passage. '* Emerging from the region of deep sand, the group stopped, care- fully rebuilt their wagons, and rolled along toward the Amu Darya. They knew they were approaching the river when the horses smelled the water and raised their heads, and the wagon drivers stood up to see the trees along the river in the distance. It was September 20 when they reached Ildshik, a village on the Amu Darya. From here the swift river flowed toward Khiva and finally emptied into the Aral Sea. Kujaks, Horses and Sorrow Resting in Ildshik, they dismissed the camel caravan and hired large flat boats, or kujaks, 140 feet long. A 12-inch wall of reeds covered with pitch kept the water out of these shallow craft as the party's possessions were loaded and packed on board. In all, eight boats were rented for $105.00 each. Partly because of the high cost of renting these boats, and also bec