subject, as it was necessary to cross the river in order to get to Khiva.
On the morning of the 30th May, Kaufmann began crossing his army to the other bank of the Oxus. The spot selected for the crossing was at Sheik-Arik, where a canal, diverted from the river, enters the oasis. The oasis of Khiva practically begins at Sheik-Arik, though there is considerable cultivation higher up the river. The ground from here to the Aral Sea is intersected with numerous ditches and canals, which are the existence of the gardens for which the country is famous. Khiva resembles Lower Egypt in its dependence upon the river that runs through it. Should the river cease to flow, the entire oasis would soon become like the desert which now surrounds it, and was for so long its protection against invasion.
The boats were capable of carrying fifty men each; the river is here about three-quarters of a mile wide, with a fair but not powerful current, and the crossing occupied about twenty minutes. But in going over and returning the boat was drifted far down the stream, so that it took some time to drag it up to the point where the troops were to enter it. After their march through the desert, the soldiers greatly enjoyed the opportunity of sporting in the water. The horses came in for their share of delight, and the animals generally made no opposition to swimming behind the boats. There was a good deal of doubt as to whether the passage would be disputed by the Turcomans, but to the delight of the Russians not a single enemy appeared, and the crossing was unmolested. If the Turcomans had made ever so feeble an attempt they would have troubled the Russians a good deal, as they had a fortification on the other bank of the river which could have been easily defended. The first of the Russians that crossed took possession of this fort; four small cannon were sent over, and in two or three hours after the first boat-load had crossed, the Russians were strongly posted and able to take care of themselves.
