Novel Snow-Plows — Kurds Use Horses, Charge the Drifts

1878

Novel Snow-Plows

In his recent travels in Asia Minor Captain Burnaby on one occasion, between Erzeroum and Van, found his road blocked by a snow-drift. It was cleared in the following original fashion.

Ordering one of the Persians to make his camels retire about two hundred yards, the Kurd by which the captain was accompanied called twelve of the best mounted of the villagers to his side; then, striking his horse and shouting wildly, he galloped along the track and charged the drift.

"In a second or two," says our traveler, "nothing could be seen but the head on the rider; his steed was entirely hidden from our view. After a few struggles the man backed the animal out of the snow, having made a hole in it some twenty feet long by four wide. The next horseman rode at the place like his leader. Each Kurd followed in succession. They finally forced a passage. It was a wild sight to witness — these Kurds in their quaint head-dresses, and on strong, fine-looking steeds of Turkoman breed, many of them quite sixteen hands high, charging the snowdrift, yelling and invoking Allah; Persians, phlegmatic and still, seemingly not caring a straw about the matter; the lieutenant encouraging the Kurds by cries and gesticulations, but having too great regard for his own safety to gallop at the ridges, and the leading horseman now far in front, his horse apparently swimming through the snow as he slowly burst the barrier."