The Great Game

Aden Settlement, 1835

Greetings my old comrade. No doubt the weather in Russia finds you well this time of year. As you may have correctly surmised by now, I am currently in Asia, so I suppose the next round of this little game of ours can begin in earnest. I'm currently en route to India, via the port of Aden in Southern Arabia. Unfortunately, the pickings here are rather slim to say the least. Too few of the local women have any interest in foreign men, I fear, and I'm not about to break the rules of our engagement by seeking out the services of one of Yemen's ladies of the evening just yet.

That said, I was fortunately able to slate my hunger on a delicious young maiden while I was stationed in Cairo this past month. She was a beautiful fellahin girl from some little farming village on the banks of the Nile. I came across her at the local souq and was immediately stricken. After a couple weeks of flirting with her at the market, I finally was able to convince her to come back to my place for some "private English lessons."

It was quite exciting to get the young thing out of her cotton robes. I'm quite excited to report that everything that has been said about Egyptian women is quite true. She had a truly lovely ass -- big and round like a pomegranate, and just as delicious. Her breasts were also quite full. And I was delighted to learn that my conquest was quite skilled in the art of anal sex. You Russians should really try making love to an Arab woman some time. I promise it is an experience you shall not soon forget.

Sincerely, Cap. Reginald Matthews,
Eighth Bengal Light Cavalry
British East India Co.

Odessa, 1835

It is most good to hear from you my old friend and rival. I too am en route to Asia to continue with the next round of our own Great Game, as I understand your country men have taken to calling our nations' respective rivalries upon the Asian continent. No doubt the vast steppes of the interior shall belong to Mother Russia once all has been said and done, but until such time I am more than amused to watch you British attempt to circumvent Russian national interests in the meantime.

Unfortunately, I was forced to make a brief detour in the Ukraine so that I might visit my dear mistress Anya before the arrival of Winter. She is a beautiful woman, of fine Slavic and Gypsy stock. I can assure you, my friend, that all of the claims your countrymen make of the Gypsies are quite true indeed. They are a very fiery, passionate people. I took her to my Summer house along the Black Sea for a week so that we could continue our affairs in private. Anya is a very bold beauty, with dark skin, deep eyes, and a full, luscious bosom as well.

Needless to say, I enjoyed very little sleep over the course of that week. Most of my time was dedicated to my beloved Anya, making sweet, passionate love to her as we lay naked in bed together. I bathed in her sensual beauty, and ate fresh fruits off her naked body. The experience was more than enough for this grizzled old Cossack. But as it stands, I must move on. The Tsar has stationed us at Baku, so I suspect your next missive shall find me somewhere in the Caucasus.

Yours truly, Mikhail Zakharchenko

Shiraz, 1835

Ah, Azerbaijan. You should enjoy that greatly you old Cossack dog. I must warn you that I am Persia right now myself, so I suppose this finds us practically next door to one another. My ship made port at Shiraz, where I must admit, the women are quite lovely indeed. I set my sights on a truly love Iranian beauty. Typical of her people, she is tall, thin and graceful, with lovely doe-like eyes. She also has a sweet voice. This is exactly my sort of woman, if I do say so myself.

I took her back on board the ship, making sure that none of the other crew saw her, of course. We made love all night long, after a truly spectacular demonstration of sexual gymnastics on her part. It was the best I've had in all the years we have been doing this little competition between ourselves. It was quite a thrill to hear this young Persian woman moaning in pleasure and calling out my name, but then, I must confess that I've always found a certain Romantic quality to the Persian language. After we consummated our passions, I had to sneak her out back to shore the following morning.

Now that that's out of the way, we are to make our way back to India at last. I am indeed on a diplomatic mission, as I told you before, but the overland portion of my journey will commence from Shimla, for the sake of logistics. I tell you, I look forward to returning to the subcontinent. It has been far too long, and I score so many points each time I'm there. Panjabi women, Kashmiri women, Rajasthani women, Gujarati women, Bengali women, Tamil women, Deccani women... the list is endless.

Sincerely, Cap. Reginald Matthews,
Eighth Bengal Light Cavalry
British East India Co.

Yerevan, 1835

It sounds like you've made good time my friend, good time indeed. You shall have to tell me more about your conquests in India some time. I was unaware that you had taken any Bengali women to bed with you. In the meantime, my party has been through Armenia en route to inner Asia. The Armenians are most grateful to have any ally they can in the region, so they look to Muscovy for support and protection. We would do quite well to cultivate this alliance. I believe it would benefit both of our peoples, but I digress.

I suspect you are more interested in hearing about my own sexual exploits while we made our way through the Caucasus, yes? I managed to find a couple of sisters here in Yerevan who were willing to entertain me... both... at the same time. No doubt you share my surprise at having such luck. I took them up on their most generous offer and was not disappointed in the least. The older of the pair was quite lovely, with dark hair and ripe full breasts, but her sister was equally attractive in her own right. What man could pass on such an opportunity?

They each took their turns, felliating me and then having sexual congress after the other had provided the proper lubrication. I would have been quite satisfied with that alone, were it not for the final exploit of the night, in which they both pleasured me at the same time. I suspect the two left some bruises that will be visible for some time afterwards. I like to think of that as a souvenir of my time in Armenia. Soon we shall be moving eastward, first to Baku, and then beyond into wild Tatary.

Please wish me luck on my venture old friend.

Yours truly, Mikhail Zakharchenko

Lucknow, 1835

I indeed wish you luck, for it would be no fun at all if I didn't have worthy competition in this Great Game of ours. Whom else could I brag of my conquests in Asia to? My wife? Ha! My fellow officers? No. Too many of my own countrymen are set in their prejudices, and what's more, we British are not exactly renowned for our skills as great lovers either. It might very well mean the end of my career within the East India Company, at the very least, not to mention causing a public scandal back in London. Not that I care about what happens there, mind you.

Yes, I've heard those Armenian women are quite wild in the bedroom. I shall have to elaborate on my further adventures in India some time. Yes, I have made love to Bengali women. And Assamese and Burmese women too. But more on that later. For now, you will no doubt want to hear that I bedded another woman here in Lucknow. And a Mughal princess at that! Like so many Indian women, she was a truly ravishing young thing. Her dark skin and exotic looks far outdid anything that we have back in England, I can assure you of that.

I was able to... convince her to take me back to her private estate here on the fringes of Lucknow, away from the hustle and bustle of the city markets. She entertained me well into the early hours of the morning, being well schooled in the courtly arts of pleasuring male visitors. In India alone of the civilized countries, sexual congress has been refined into a true science, with ecstatic pleasures I cannot begin to describe to you. And my hostess was well practiced indeed.

After hours of love making, I finally shot my seed deep into the depths of her sweet brown womanhood. It was one of the greatest pleasures I have ever known in my life and I shall always look back upon it fondly, her naked body and full breasts lying exposed to me in her bed. Do tell more of your own exploits. Now that you are returning to the true wilds of Asia, I suspect you shall have some interesting stories of your own to tell.

Sincerely, Cap. Reginald Matthews,
Eighth Bengal Light Cavalry
British East India Co.

Samarkand, 1835

Yes, yes. The wilds of inner Asia are always an experience in their own right. I had hoped to make another detour so that I might go hunting in the Pamirs once again, but such was not to be. The urgency of our mission demanded that I make straight across the lands of the Kazakhs and Turkomen for distant Samarkand. You know, I have heard tell that this city was once a great capital of the Mongol Empire. Surely the march of the ages has done but little to tarnish the city's splendor. The great domes that dot the city's skyline are still quite visible, speaking of a grandeur and majesty that is matched only by our own Russian Empire. In fact, you might say we are the heirs of the Mongols, if I might be so bold.

The Ozbek women here in Samarkand are quite lovely to behold. A casual observer can easily see the proud Mongol and Turkic blood flowing through their veins, with their fair complexions, high cheekbones, full lips and almond-shaped eyes. There is a very lovely young woman here, a dancer named Yildiz who performs in the various tea houses for the raucous crowds. If what you say of Indian women studying the fine arts of seduction is true, then surely it is a trait that they share with the women of Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent, who are all well skilled in the arts of seduction themselves! It is something you must see some time, my dear rival.

Yildiz took me back to her place the other night, a small building in one of the nicer districts of the city. She show me some "private lessons" of her own. The woman is very skillful, her body quite firm and well toned from years of dancing. She straddled my body as I lay in her bed and rode me like a wild beast. I worked up a good sweat, pounding away at her delicate but well toned body. We have another bout of lovemaking scheduled for tonight, which I eagerly look forward to. It is rare to find a woman of such exquisite stamina. And taste, for her tastes are quite delectable as well. No doubt you'd find that out yourself if you ever make your way to Samarkand, my British friend.

Sincerely, Mikhail Zakharchenko

Herat, 1836

Sounds quite entertaining. I shall have to take you up on that challenge some time, but for the moment, circumstances have forced me to move westward. It is not something that I had planned, I assure you. No doubt you are aware of the... difficulties that my people have faced on the Northwest Frontier. It is a wild and lawless region which even the local Princes and Rajahs have never been able to fully pacify. My unit was sent to deal with some wild Afghani tribesmen who were harassing British and Indian interests here in Heart. I found them to be only little better than the neighboring Baluchi marauders in terms of their depredations.

But it is not all bad news. The women in Afghanistan are almost as lovely as their Indian and Persian neighbors. I came across a lovely young beauty named Sadia here in Heart. Although it took some effort on my part, I was able to convince her to come back with me for the night. Whatever other writers may have said about women in this corner of Asia is most untrue in my personal experience. Sadia provided a very lovely night, offering my fellatio and then finishing with some amazing lovemaking of a more conventional variety.

While she was not as talented, trained or experienced as my royal lover back in Lucknow, she more than made up for it with raw intensity and sheer passion. If all Afghani women are like her, then I shouldn't mind spending a season or two here in the rugged northwest.

Sincerely, Cap. Reginald Matthews,
Eighth Bengal Light Cavalry
British East India Co.

Urumqi, 1836

Ha! I should have known that would be like you. For what it is worth, I too hope you have a chance to stay some time in Herat, if only so that it might prolong this little game of ours. As it currently stands, I am here in Chinese Turkestan right now. It is a very rugged but beautiful land, though not so much as the lands of the Kazakhs and Ozbeks. Urumqi itself, though, does not impress me all that much. But then, that is not what brings us Russians to this land in the first place. Here in the markets one can find many races mingling together - Chinese, Mongols, Kazakhs, Tuvans, Tadzhiks and of course the local Uighurs as well.

The Uighur women are also quite lovely, being of strong Turkic stock like so many peoples of Central Asia. I was able to seduce one woman, an older but no less attractive lady whom I met while trying to find a translator for us. She was fluent in Ozbek and Chinese, as well as some of the other languages of the area, so I hired her. However, I've also arranged for her to share personal quarters with me, ostensibly so that she can help tutor me in the local dialects. I suspect my men, though, are more than aware of her moans of pleasure coming from my room at night.

No matter. This refined and elegant Uighur lady is quite a demon in the sack. One wouldn't have expected that, but I have found from my experience that fine women only tend to get better with age. It's almost become a nightly ritual. Each night, when we retire to my quarters, she strips down naked and lovingly tends to my manhood. Sometimes we make love two or three times a night. Very enjoyable.

Sincerely, Mikhail Zakharchenko

Lhasa, 1836

China? You've already made it to China this time? That's quite thrilling. It means that I've got a lot of work to do if I wish to catch up to you, my dear competitor. But then, as always, I'm quite up to the challenge. As you may have inferred from this letter, my party has already arrived in fabled Tibet, and we have been working to strengthen diplomatic relations with their government. It seems the Tibetans have some manner of theocracy, with Buddhist sages and holy men holding the true reigns of power in the Tibetan Kingdom. No doubt our scholars back in London will enjoy hearing about that.

While strolling through the Tibetan hills and valleys, I encountered a lovely young farm girl out in the country side. Although it took some time to break down the language barrier, it wasn't long before I convinced her to take a quick romp out in the fields. She quickly stripped out of her clothing and allowed me to use her body. As might be expected under such circumstances, grass and dirt mixed with our bodies' own sweat as we made love in the fertile Tibetan fields. The spring air here in the Himalayan mountains was quite reinvigorating.

No doubt you shall be in the Manchu courts by the time my next missive finds you. I wish you luck. My own country has economic interests in China as well, and after my business here in the courts of Lhasa concludes, I shall be en route to Hong Kong. It will be my second time in that city, and I look forward to sampling the sexual exploits of Cantonese women again. They are very skilled lovers, at least in my opinion. Do tell of what the Manchu and Korean women are like. I look forward to hearing of that.

Sincerely, Cap. Reginald Matthews,
Eighth Bengal Light Cavalry
British East India Co.

Hanseong, 1836

Yes, the women in this corner of Asia are very beautiful indeed. However, your presumption that I would arrive at the Manchu courts was incorrect, as my instructions were to first establish a mission amongst the Koreans at Hanseong and then move westward back into China. One of the earliest goals of the Russian Empire has been to establish warm sea ports, and with our empire stretching eastward to the Pacific, it only stands to reason that we would want to strengthen trade with the Japanese and Korean Empires first. Surely you can understand as much.

In many ways, Korea reminds me of Mother Russia. The women are very lovely -- pale and slender, and with fine taste in clothing. They wear a great deal of silk and make-up, and spend hours perfecting their look so that they might better attract male suitors. Such behavior would fit in quite well amongst the noble women at the courts in Muscovy. But then, the Korean women are also much more polite and refined, seldom dabbling in the arts of gossip to the same degree that our Russian beauties do. In that regard, I find them to be far more agreeable to my tastes.

I was able to convince one of the beautiful noble women here in the royal court at Hanseong to come back to my private chambers the other night. She was a very talented lover, bending over and allowing me to penetrate her from behind. She seemed to enjoy it greatly, no doubt never having encountered a strong Cossack lover before. Afterwards, she lay in my bed for the remainder of the night, gently stroking me and whispering sweet poems into my ear. I look forward to sampling the women of China and Japan in following months.

Best regards, Mikhail Zakharchenko

Singapore, 1836

Then neither of us is actually in China yet. Quite ironic. Rough weather this monsoon season has delayed my departure from Calcutta, so I am only now arriving in Singapore. I won't be arriving in Hong Kong until my ship passes through Malaya, but I am taking this opportunity to sample the local pleasures in stride. Singapore is a very cosmopolitan city since the arrival of the British. Here, one can find Indians, Arabs, Chinese, Malays, Persians, Jews, Khmer, Europeans, Javanese, Sumatrans, Thais and almost every other race of Asia trading wares and services. Intriguingly, it is the women who actually operate most of the businesses.

After shopping around the bazaar -- sampling the wares, so to speak -- I finally set my eyes on an attractive Malay woman with a shapely backside. It didn't take much work to get her attention, and we went back to her home to further pursue our trade relations. She wasted no time in getting me undressed and tenderly massaging my body. With great skill, she let me take her in her own bed and pleasured me in the most amazing ways. After I emptied my seed deep into her womb, she went down on my knees and brought me through a second round of orgasms, making sure to swallow every last drop. Then she put on her sarong as if nothing happened and went back to business.

As we won't actually be leaving Singapore for a couple of days, I've decided to take the initiative and search out some additional points for our little challenge. I've already set my sites on a fine young thing from Cambodia, and after that I think I will settle for Vietnamese or perhaps Arrakanese. I look forward to seeing you once I arrive in China. No doubt you can manage to get a few days leave. By my count, this Malay woman brings me up to thirty some odd sexual conquests, giving me the lead for the time being. That means you'll owe me drinks this time around.

Sincerely, Cap. Reginald Matthews,
Eighth Bengal Light Cavalry
British East India Co.