Page:England & Russia in Central Asia,Vol-I.djvu/109

EUSSIA's military strength in central ASIA. 89 for the conyeyaiice of his army are exclusively the miserable ferry boats which have been described as " clumsy vessels." There is an Oxus fleet which is quite at the disposal of the strongest power in those waters. Since the time when Alexander had to cross on inflated skins, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane have crossed the Oxus in the boats of the fishermen and carriers of its banks ; and those boats are still to be found there precisely the same in all essentials. It has been estimated that between Kilif and Hazarasp in Khiva there are three hundred of the large river boats, of which the following is a description. They are built with bows projecting very much at each end, in order to extend the more easily from the main bed of the river over the shallows to the shore. They are constructed of logs, squared, cut from the dwarf jungle tree, and these are fastened together by iron bands and clamps. As a rule they are fifty feet in length, eighteen feet in breadth, four feet deep, and have a displacement of only twelve inches of water. The tonnage of a vessel of this description is twenty tons, and at a very moderate allowance each should be able to carry one hundred and fifty foot soldiers. They would also be strong enough to admit of artillery, horses, and heavy baggage being conveyed across in them. Some have even said that they would be amply sufficient to form a strong and durable bridge across at Kerkhi ; but on that point it is allowable to entertain a different opinion. The current of the Oxus is so strong, the exact direction of its course so uncertain, that it would be matter of serious difficulty, if not quite impossible,