As soon as we are on the move I begin to think of Kinko.  His little love romance has touched me to the heart.  This sweetheart who sent himself off—­this other sweetheart who is going to pay the expenses—­I am sure Major Noltitz would be interested in these two turtle doves, one of which is in a cage; he would not be too hard on this defrauder of the company, he would be incapable of betraying him.  Consequently I have a great desire to tell him of my expedition into the baggage van.  But the secret is not mine.  I must do nothing that might get Kinko into trouble.

And so I am silent, and to-night I will, if possible, take a few provisions to my packing case—­to my snail in his shell, let us say.  And is not the young Roumanian like a snail in his shell, for it is as much as he can do to get out of it?

We reach Khodjend about three in the afternoon.  The country is fertile, green, carefully cultivated.  It is a succession of kitchen gardens, which seem to be well-kept immense fields sown with clover, which yield four or five crops a year.  The roads near the town are bordered with long rows of mulberry trees, which diversify the view with eccentric branches.

Again, this pair of cities, old and new.  Both of them had only thirty thousand inhabitants in 1868 and they have from forty-five to fifty thousand now.  Is it the influence of the surroundings which produces the increase of the birth rate?  Is the province affected by the prolific example of the Celestial Empire?  No!  It is the progress of trade, the concentration of merchants of all nations onto these new markets.

Our halt at Khodjend has lasted three hours.  I have made my professional visit and walked on the banks of the Syr-Dana.  This river, which bathes the foot of the high mountains of Mogol-Taou, is crossed by a bridge, the middle section of which gives passage to ships of moderate tonnage.

The weather is very warm.  The town being protected by its shelter of mountains, the breezes of the steppe cannot reach it, and it is one of the hottest places in Turkestan.

I met the Caternas, delighted with their excursion.  The actor said to me in a tone of the best humor: 

“Never shall I forget Khodjend, Monsieur Claudius.”

“And why will you never forget Khodjend, Monsieur Caterna?”

“Do you see these peaches?” he asked, showing me the fruit he was carrying.

“They are magnificent—­”

“And not dear!  A kilo for four kopeks—­that is to say, twelve centimes!”

“Eh!” I answer.  “That shows that peaches are rather common in this country.  That is the Asiatic apple and it was one of those apples that Mrs. Adam took a bite at—­”

“Then I excuse her!” said Madame Caterna, munching away at one of these delicious peaches.

After leaving Tachkend the railway had curved toward the south, so as to reach Khodjend; but after leaving town it curved to the east in the direction of Kokhan.  It is at Tachkend that it is nearest to the Transsiberian, and a branch line is being made to Semipalatinsk to unite the railway systems of Central and Northern Asia.