SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE
SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER
[Illustration:
THE AUTHOR.
_Frontispiece._
]
SPORT AND SCIENCE
ON THE
SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER
By
ARTHUR DE CARLE SOWERBY, F.Z.S., F.R.G.S.
Joint Author with Robert S. Clark of “Through Shên-Kan,” and Author of
“Fur and Feather in North China” and “A Sportsman’s Miscellany”
“Till a voice, as bad as Conscience, rang interminable changes
On one everlasting Whisper day and night repeated—so:
‘Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges—
Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!’”
KIPLING.
LONDON: ANDREW MELROSE, LTD.
3 YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
1918
To
MAJOR ROBERT STERLING CLARK,
In memory of many happy days’ hunting on the Sino-Mongolian Frontier.
Introduction
Ever since the Original Hundred Families wandered eastward from Central
Asia into the land now known as China, and settled in the broad and
fertile valley of the Wei River in the present province of Shensi,
forming the nucleus of the Flowery Kingdom, its people have been
harassed continually by the ravaging hordes of Tartary.
The frontiers between the two races, one peaceful and addicted to the
practice of the Arts, the other warlike, and caring only for plunder,
rapine and conquest, have always been marked by scenes of bloody
conflicts, ruthless raids and brutal massacres; yet, strange though it
may seem, it has been the peaceful nation which has won in the end, and
continually the Sino-Mongolian boundary has been pushed further to the
north.
The Chinese have repeatedly been conquered by the Tartars, and subjected
to a rule of tyranny and oppression; but it has always ended in the same
way—either the absorption or the ejection of the Tartar conquerors, and
a further advance of the Chinese upon the acknowledged territories of
these predatory Nomads.
From the Wei valley, occupied twenty centuries before the Christian era,
the Chinese, themselves an invading race, driving out or exterminating
the aborigines, spread steadily eastward and northward, till, in the
reign of the illustrious Shih Huang-ti, the boundaries of the Empire
were marked by the Great Wall. This for many centuries divided the
actual territories of the Chinese from those of the Mongols, in spite of
further invasions and conquests on the part of the latter; that is to
say, the dwellers on the south side of the Wall remained Chinese and
those on the north Mongol, regardless of the nationality of the ruling
Emperor.
This state of affairs was maintained up to the middle of the nineteenth
century, when as the Tartar Power, both Manchu and Mongol, Eastern and
Western, gradually declined, the Chinese pushed beyond the Wall,
settling further and further out on the Mongolian Plateau. This was not
done by force of arms, but by intrigue and purchase, and it has led to
much bitterness and ill-feeling on the part of the Mongols.
To-day, we again have before us the old drama, being played in much the
same old way. The Chinese have risen, have shaken off the enfeebled
Tartar yoke, and are endeavouring to add yet another portion of Mongolia
to the ever-increasing domains of the Middle Kingdom.
The aggression of the New Republic, whose rights over Mongolia are only
such as she may maintain by force—Mongolia having been tributary to the
Manchu and never to the Chinese—is naturally resented by the Mongolians.
Thus we see armed bands of both nations lining the present frontier, in
many places far beyond the Great Wall, while we hear of depredations and
incursions made by wild undisciplined horsemen, who swoop down from the
grassy plain or sandy desert to burn, plunder and kill, returning whence
they came before the slow-moving Chinese troops can offer resistance, or
strike an effective blow in return.
The most recent political boundary between Mongolia and China, that is
the one extant before the declaration of Mongolian Independence in
September 1911 and the present ensuing complications, extended from the
border of Manchuria near Liao-chou in the province of Fêng-t’ien in a
west-south-westerly direction north of Lama Miao (Dolon Nor) to the
north-eastern corner of Shansi province. Thence bearing more to the
south, it kept north and west of K’uei-hua-ch’êng, till it reached the
Yellow River near He-k’ou. From here it followed the course of that
river, running due south as far as the north-eastern corner of Shensi
province. From this point on it coincided with the course of the Great
Wall, extending into the heart of Asia, and terminating only with the
western boundary of Chinese Turkestan.
Westward from the point where it strikes the Yellow River near He-k’ou
this boundary is the natural one, being marked, first by a section of
the river, then by the sandy edges of the Ordos Desert, next by a second
stretch of the Yellow River, and finally by the southern border of the
Gobi Desert.
Eastward from He-k’ou it is more difficult to trace a natural boundary,
as the whole country is broken up by irregular ranges of hills and
mountains interspersed with wide river valleys, which in some instances
assume the dimensions of plains.
On the whole the course of the outer loop of the Great Wall may be said
to define most satisfactorily the natural boundary. Especially is this
the case immediately north and north-west of Kalgan, where a line of
high cliffs of volcanic origin marks the edge of what is generally known
as the Mongolian Plateau.
From Kalgan the Wall runs first east and then, after making a big loop
to enclose the valley of Pei Ho, turns south-east, following the crests
of the mountain ranges, finally ending abruptly on the sea coast at
Shan-hai-kuan (lit. Mountain-sea pass).
The line of demarcation between the land actually occupied by the
Mongols on the one hand and the Chinese on the other follows the
political boundary, but, so far as the writer has been able to observe,
the floral and faunistic, as well as the geologic boundaries coincide
with the natural one, excepting only that part extending from Kalgan to
Shan-hai-kuan. Here the faunistic and floral boundaries undoubtedly lie
far more to the north, coinciding rather with the political boundary.
In the present volume the term “Sino-Mongolian Frontier” indicates not
so much the political boundary as here set forth, but rather the
boundary marked out by Shih Huang-ti when he built the Great Wall, which
as already stated defines to a great extent the natural boundary.
The subject of this book is a series of explorations, carried out by the
author accompanied in each case by at least one other European, through
districts, which, lying in close proximity to the Great Wall, may be
included in the title as already defined.
The work carried out on these explorations was in the nature of
scientific and geographical research, including the collection of
biological specimens, the making of geological notes, the carrying out
of compass traverses, and the general investigation into the lives,
customs and conditions of the natives.
These explorations were as follows:—
1. A journey through North Shensi, the Ordos Desert and Western
Shansi, by Malcolm P. Anderson and the author in connexion with
the Duke of Bedford’s Exploration of Eastern Asia; Spring and
Summer 1908.
2. An expedition through the upper basin of the Fên River in Western
Shansi, by the author and his wife; Winter, 1909–10.
3. Short collecting trips round T’ai-yüan Fu, Shansi; Autumn 1911.
4. A shooting trip in the mountains north-east of Kalgan; February
1912.
5. A journey from Kalgan to K’uei-hua-ch’êng in North Shansi; Spring,
1912.
6. A journey in Inner Mongolia; Summer, 1912.
It may be noted that the Clark Expedition, which forms the subject of
_Through Shên-Kan_, took place between the first and second of the
explorations enumerated above, and the present book may be considered
supplementary to that work.
Chapters dealing with the scientific aspects of the work of the several
expeditions are given at the end of this book. An itinerary, which, it
is hoped, will be found useful by future travellers in these parts is
also given.
The results of the compass traverses have been carefully reduced to a
convenient scale (1/1,000,000), and maps will be found in the
cover-pocket at the end of the book.
I am indebted to Mr. Malcolm P. Anderson for photographs illustrating
the first of the series of explorations, to Mr. Robert S. Clark for
others of North Shensi, and to Dr. P. H. Atwood, who is the best big
game shot in North China, for those of the wild boar and the leopard.
My best thanks and appreciation are due to Mr. Frederick W. Warrington,
who at his own expense accompanied me on the last two expeditions,
rendering the ablest assistance.
ARTHUR DE C. SOWERBY.
NOTE
This book was written in 1913, but on account of conditions brought
about by the European War, which broke out on the eve of publication,
it was thought advisable not to issue it till now.
On the whole conditions in China and Mongolia are much the same to-day
as they were in 1913, with the exception, perhaps, that the suzerainty
of China over Mongolia has been re-established, while the threat of
annexation by Russia has, for the time at least, been removed.
Intermittent fighting still takes place between the Mongols and
Chinese, but this partakes more of the nature of raids by lawless
bands than direct military conflict between the two countries.
The railway from Kalgan westward has been completed as far as
Fên-chêng (see page 105) on its way to K’uei-hua-ch’êng, thus reducing
the journey a day’s march.
The effect of the recent outbreak of pneumonic plague in this region
has not yet been made known, but since the whole of the area from
Fên-chêng westward was affected, it is certain that the population,
already sparse enough, has been further reduced. It has been reported
that whole villages have been wiped out by this terrible disease.
1918. A. DE C. S.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION v
CHAPTER I
THE ORDOS BORDER 3
CHAPTER II
THE FORESTS AND LAKES OF THE FÊN HO BASIN 39
CHAPTER III
SPORT ROUND T’AI-YÜAN FU 63
CHAPTER IV
TRIP TO HSI-WAN-TZŬ 83
CHAPTER V
JOURNEY TO K’UEI-HUA-CH’ÊNG: THE T’AI HAI 101
CHAPTER VI
AFTER ARGALI AND WAPITI 113
CHAPTER VII
THE MONGOLIAN PLATEAU 139
CHAPTER VIII
BIOLOGICAL WORK 173
CHAPTER IX
THE FLORA OF THE SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 215
i. Trees 216
(_a_) Gymnosperms 218
(_b_) Angiosperms 221
ii. Fruits. 226
iii. Flowers 237
iv. Cryptogams 245
CHAPTER X
GEOLOGICAL NOTES 251
Part 1.—The Geology of the Country traversed by the Chên-T’ai
Railway, Western Chihli and Eastern Shansi 253
Part 2.—The Geology of the Country traversed by Anderson and
the Author in 1908, Northern Shansi, the Ordos and Western
Shansi 258
Part 3.—The Geology of the Upper Fên Ho Basin, Western Shansi 263
Part 4.—The Geology of the Country traversed by the
Peking-Kalgan Railway, North Chihli 268
Part 5.—The Geology of the Ch’ing Ho and Hsi-wan-tzŭ District,
North Chihli 270
Part 6.—The Geology of the Country traversed by the Ch’ang-sui
Extension Line, North-Western Chihli and North-Eastern Shansi 272
Part 7.—The Geology of the Country from Yang-kao to
K’uei-hua-ch’êng, North Shansi 273
Part 8.—The Sedimentary Rocks north-west of Pi-ch’ien-ch’i,
North-Western Shansi 276
Part 9.—The Geology of the Mongolian Plateau, Inner Mongolia 278
APPENDIX; ITINERARIES 283
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PLATE FACING PAGE
The Author _Frontispiece_
I. Yen-an Fu, looking up the Yen-shui 6
II. Cave Dwellings near Yen-an Fu 14
III. Idols in Temple Cave, near Yen-an Fu 30
IV. Leopard (_Felis fontanieri_) shot by Dr. P. H.
Atwood in Shansi 42
Wild Boar (_Sus sp._) shot by Dr. P. H. Atwood in
Shansi. Weight, 330 lb. 42
V. Mr. and Mrs. A. de C. Sowerby with Bag of Wild
Pigs, Bustards and Small Game 58
Water-Mill in Winter 58
VI. Hunting Party on Summit of High Peak, near
T’ai-yüan Fu 72
Front View of North China Wild Pig, shot at
Shêng-yieh, near T’ai-yüan Fu 72
VII. Crossing the Yellow River 88
Yen-ch’uan Hsien, North Shensi 88
VIII. The Author and his Big Ram, photographed where it
fell 114
IX. Mongol Women wearing Full Dress Headgear of
Silver-Mounted Coral and Turquoise 142
Mongol Woman in Ordinary Headgear 142
X. Procession leaving Prayer Hall, Lama Miao,
Mongolia 154
XI. Big Prayer Wheel, Lama Miao, Mongolia 160
Devil-dancers, Lama Miao, Mongolia 160
XII. Pony Lassoed 166
A Herd of Mongol Ponies 166
Watching the Races 166
Breaking a Wild Pony 166
Examining Teeth of Wild Pony 166
Branding Wild Pony 166
XIII. Giant Hamster (_Cricetulus triton incanus_) 180
Young Antelope 180
Wild Sheep 180
XIV. Mink (_Mustela sibirica_) Eating Teal 192
Golden Eagle 192
Ruddy Sheld-Duck 192
XV. Wild Peach in Blossom near Yen-an Fu. March 226
XVI. Wild Peach Blossom (_Amygdalus davidiana_) near
Yen-an Fu. Late March 238
XVII. A Tower of the Great Wall, Ordos Border 258
Loess Ravine in North Shensi 258
CHAPTER I
THE ORDOS BORDER
Very early in life my travels began. I was only four years old when my
parents took me from an interior town of China to the coast, and thence
to Europe. Vaguely I remember the mule train “coughing in the dust” of a
Shansi road, and the house-boat journey down a Chihli river, with my
mother lying at death’s door in the cramped and tiny cabin, overcome by
that cruel journey. Then came the strange sights and scenes of the sea
journey to England, followed by the even stranger (to me) life of my
native land. Three years later we were back again in the interior town,
and from that time on I have scarcely lived in one place longer than a
year or two at a time.
All this doubtless accounts for my love of travel, which has led to my
kicking the traces and becoming a wanderer. What more natural than that
the wandering should have for its scene the land of my nativity, where I
know the people and their language, where I can live, if necessary, upon
the land, without the help of stores from Europe or American canned
goods? What more natural than that the unknown places in this land of
mystery should beckon to me, and that I should hear that voice ringing
its “interminable changes ... something hidden. Go and find it....”?
I cannot claim with Kipling’s Explorer to have found country unknown to
man; but I can say that I have been the first white man to tread many a
forest and wild mountain, many a sandy waste and boulder-strewn
wilderness, many a rich pasture and fertile valley. I, too, have seen
the promise of future prosperity in “the big fat marshes that the virgin
ore-bed stains,” in the “nameless timber,” and “illimitable plains.”
Will others go up and occupy? Will my countrymen aid in developing that
potential wealth? I hope so.
Strange though it may seem it has not been the solemn grandeur of the
great back ranges, nor the mysterious silence and gloom of the virgin
forests, nor yet the smiling fatness of the valleys and plains that have
appealed to me most. It is the sun-baked, barren ridges, the shifting,
windswept sand-dunes and the saline, brackish swamps of the Ordos Desert
that have cast upon me the strongest spell.
Even as a boy I had been fascinated by what I had heard of that howling
wilderness, that waste of sand, that “Never-never country.” The romance
of those wild Tartars, living their lives of untrammelled freedom always
appealed to my imagination and I longed to go and see it all.
At last the chance came, and never shall I regret the step that once and
for all settled my destiny, when I exchanged a town life of comparative
ease for that of the explorer and collector.
It was in Tientsin in the summer of 1907 that I first met Mr. Malcolm P.
Anderson, who was out in the East collecting mammals and specimens of
zoological interest generally for the British Museum at South
Kensington, in connexion with the Duke of Bedford’s Exploration of
Eastern Asia.
At the time I was engaged in mounting the fruits of a hunting and
collecting trip in Western Shansi for a local museum.
With common interests a friendship sprang up between us, which
culminated a month or so later in a decision to join forces in carrying
out an expedition into the hitherto practically unknown Ordos Desert.
As I would not be free till the end of the year Anderson went to
T’ai-yüan Fu in Shansi, where he continued to collect, till, everything
having been arranged satisfactorily, I joined him towards the end of
January 1908.
The proximity of the Chinese New Year prevented our starting for another
fortnight, but at last on February 10, we set out from T’ai-yüan Fu with
a somewhat meagre equipment of four mules and one pony, together with
three natives.
A glance at the map of China will suffice to show the reader the
position of the Ordos Desert. It is situated within a mighty loop of the
Yellow River immediately north of Shensi, from which province it is
divided by the Great Wall. The Ordos is known to the Chinese as Ts’ao-ti
(grass land), and the only information we could glean concerning it was
that it was an immense wilderness of sand and coarse scrub, in which
wild Tartars lived, and where hardy races of small ponies and cattle
were bred.
This sounded interesting, though hardly favourable to our purpose of
making a large collection. Nevertheless our instructions were definite
on the subject, so we set about attaining the end in view as best we
could.
We found that by travelling due west we could have reached Yü-lin Fu on
the border of the desert in fourteen days, but this would have brought
us to the country at a time of year when the weather would have been
most unsuitable for the collecting of small mammals, and much valuable
time would have been wasted.
PLATE I.
[Illustration:
[_Photo by M. P. Anderson._
YEN-AN FU LOOKING UP THE YEN-SHUI.
_Opposite p. 6._]
]
We therefore decided to travel south-west to Yen-an Fu in North Central
Shensi, and from there work north-west, to the southernmost point of the
Ordos. By stopping and collecting at a few places along this route, we
would gauge our arrival on the frontiers of the desert to sometime in
spring, the best season for our work.
After leaving T’ai-yüan Fu, and crossing the low mud-flats of the Fên
River, our road lay in a south-westerly direction through well
cultivated country. Round the villages we noticed innumerable jujube
trees (_Zizyphus sativa_), which grow extensively in all the low lying
valleys and plains of Shansi, Chihli and Shensi. The fruit of these
trees resembles nothing so much as a date, and when treated with honey
makes an excellent preserve. It is largely used in the manufacture of
sweetmeats, especially of the cheaper qualities, while bread-steamers[1]
use it instead of currants in the manufacture of a kind of bun loaf.
Our first stopping place was the small town of Chin-ssŭ, famous for its
temple and spring. The latter gushes out of the base of the hill upon
which the temple is built, and irrigates the surrounding fields, making
the cultivation of rice on a large scale possible.
It also forms the motive power of a number of paper mills, a coarse
straw-paper being manufactured in the district.
The temple of Chin-ssŭ is a very beautiful edifice, composed as it is of
magnificent buildings standing upon a series of stone terraces running
up the steep hillside. A long flight of stairs extends from the base to
the topmost shrine, while in the extensive grounds are artificial lakes,
filled with carp. Old and stately trees stand here and there, the most
interesting of which are two huge Maidenhair trees (_Gingko biloba_).
We reached Fên-chow Fu two days later, passing on our way the important
towns of Chiao-ch’êng Hsien and Wên-sui Hsien. The country between these
two places is noted as being the finest grape producing district in
China. The grapes grown are mostly purple, but some white varieties
occur. In the season these fruits sell at less than one halfpenny per
pound.
Fên-chou Fu itself is a large business town with an extensive floating
population. It has nothing of particular interest to recommend it to the
traveller, who is only too anxious to get away from its dirt and smells.
On leaving this town we took a westerly course, and following a deep and
narrow gorge in the limestone formation, crossed a high divide at its
head.
We spent the night at a large village named Wu-ch’êng. From here we
turned southward, and after travelling fifteen miles, stopped at a place
named Shi-shi-ling, situated in a mountainous and well-wooded district.
Here we remained for some days hunting and collecting.
Wild boars, leopards and roe-deer were seen, but we were too busy
trapping for small mammals to pay much attention to large game.
Pheasants, partridges and hares were abundant, and kept our pot well
filled. The weather was too severe for good work, and beyond a few
squirrels, field-mice, small hamster rats and three or four species of
birds we secured very little.
The country was typical of Shansi, consisting of rugged shale and
limestone mountains, overgrown with scrub oak, hazel, birch, wild peach,
conifers and thorny shrubs of various kinds.
From Shi-shi-ling, we travelled westward towards the Yellow River,
putting up at Ning-hsiang Hsien, and Liu-lin-chên on February 24 and 25
respectively. The former of these two places is a town of no importance
and less interest. At Liu-lin-chên some fine springs, open all the year
round, form a winter resort for countless wildfowl, including teal,
mallards, sheld-ducks, golden eyes and mergansers.
On February 26 we crossed the Yellow River and put up at a small village
on its right bank. The crossing was effected by means of large ferry
boats, into which mules and baggage were ignominiously bundled, when,
with long, roughly made oars, the ferrymen kept the boats at angles such
that the swift current forced them along in the desired direction. In
consequence, the landing was effected some considerable distance down
stream.
Continuing westward over barren windswept loess ridges for two days, we
reached a busy little town named Sui-tê Chou. Thence we travelled
southward for four days along a splendid road, which had recently been
cut by the Yü-lin Fu garrison. This country was very desolate,
consisting as it did at that season of bare loess hills inhabited only
by occasional coveys of partridges and a few foxes and eagles.
At a place called Yen-ch’uan Hsien, not far from some recently opened
oil wells, we turned westward, and after crossing a steep loess pass,
entered the valley of the Yen-shui, the river on whose banks is situated
the old town of Yen-an Fu. All the towns and villages we passed were in
a sad state of ruin, while the inhabitants were terribly
poverty-stricken. The country has not yet recovered from the devastating
effects of the great Mohammedan rebellion of the sixties, followed in
1887 by a protracted famine. It is true that the greater part of the
loess hills is under cultivation, but years must elapse before the
country regains its former prosperity.[2]
Near Yen-an Fu we noticed that there were many dense thickets,
consisting chiefly of the thorny wild jujube (_Zizyplus sativa spinosa_)
along the Yen-shui valley, so we decided to stop and spend a few days in
collecting. Our efforts met with immediate success, so that we prolonged
our stay in the vicinity. We secured one new species and three new
subspecies of rodents, besides several already well-known forms.
Each morning ere it was light we would sally forth with satchel and
shot-gun to inspect our traps, set the night before. Bringing in the
specimens secured, we would spend the rest of the day till mid-afternoon
in skinning and preparing our day’s haul, after which we would once more
go out to look over the traps, or set new ones.
The new species referred to above was a pika (_Ochoton abedfordi_), a
small rabbit-like rodent, while the new subspecies were a
sulphur-bellied rat (_Epymys confucianus luticolor_), a large hamster
rat (_Cricetulus triton incanus_) and a hare (_Lepus swinhoei
subluteus_). The kindred forms of the last three species are found in
the Shantung Peninsula and in Chihli.
The abundance of game and small mammals round Yen-an-Fu is undoubtedly
due to the extensive thickets of wild jujube in the vicinity. This
plant, wherever it occurs, forms excellent cover for pheasants, hares,
small mammals and birds. It grows usually in the form of low shrubs, and
is thickly covered with strong sharp thorns, some of which are straight,
and others hooked. The result is that large animals and human beings
experience great difficulty and inconvenience in traversing thickets of
this growth. The fruit, which has a pleasant sour taste, together with
the hard stony kernels, forms a regular part of the autumn and winter
diet of the smaller mammals and birds. One of the characteristics of
this peculiar plant is that it never grows at an altitude exceeding
3,000 ft. above sea level, and another is that it comes into leaf long
after all other plants in the same districts in which it grows.
We were told by the natives that there were some very good collecting
grounds about ten miles south-west of Yen-an Fu. Accordingly we packed
our traps and visited the spot. We were rewarded by finding excellent
country, both for shooting and trapping, so that our collection began to
reach pleasing proportions.
This country we found to consist of the usual loess hills, but they were
thickly covered with scrub and rapidly extending woods of birch, hazel
and poplar.
In some places the hillsides were covered with wild peach (_Amygdalus
davidiana_), which was now in full bloom, and presented a wonderful
sight. This peach is supposed to be the original stock from which all
our many varieties have been derived. This however is not at all
certain, as wild peaches have been found in other parts of Asia. It is
very hardy, withstanding extremely low temperatures. The fruit is small
and worthless as a table delicacy, though it is greatly appreciated by
squirrels and other rodents.
The tracks of wild boars, roe-deer, leopards and wolves were frequently
seen, while pheasants were particularly plentiful.
Some interesting birds were secured, amongst which were a large and
handsome blue magpie (_Urocissa sinensis_), and the sweet-voiced
timeline (_Pomatorhinus gravivox_). A single specimen of the grey-headed
plover (_Microsarcops cinereus_), a large and elegant member of the
family, was shot in one of the stream beds.
The weather was now wonderfully mild, so that our thoughts began to turn
towards the sandy stretches of the Ordos, and finally on April 6, after
once more reaching Yen-an Fu, we set out in a north-westerly direction
along the Yen-shui valley.
We were somewhat reassured as to the prospects of securing food for
ourselves and our animals in the Ordos, the natives of Yen-an Fu having
informed us that there were plenty of Mongols, who were well off and
hospitable, scattered in little encampments at easy stages in every
direction.
The journey up the Yen-shui proved uneventful except that as we neared
the end of the valley on the third day, we had to cross the river no
less than sixty-eight times. Towards the end of the afternoon, however,
it began to dwindle down till it was no longer of formidable dimensions
and crossings were easily effected.
As the day wore on we noticed that the loess hills were growing higher
and higher, while the substratum of rock changed from grey to red
sandstone. Through this the stream cut deeply, forming sheer and lofty
cliffs on either side.
In one place we noticed, high up on the face of the cliff, some cave
dwellings, which were reached by a series of stakes driven into the face
of the rock. Many of these were missing, from which we concluded that
the caves had long remained untenanted.
PLATE II.
[Illustration:
[_Photo by M. P. Anderson._
CAVE DWELLINGS NEAR YEN-AN FU.
_Opposite p. 14_.]
]
The natives of our last stopping place told us that here we would find a
good-sized village with plenty of accommodation. This turned out to be a
purely malicious and unprovoked falsehood, for when night began to
descend our little party found itself in a desolate and seemingly
uninhabited wilderness.
Following the only bridle path we began a long and difficult ascent till
we reached an altitude of 6,000 feet, having climbed over 3,000 feet
since leaving Yen-an Fu. The path now led along the top of a rugged
ridge and became momentarily more difficult, till, darkness overtaking
us, we realized that we were hopelessly lost. To make matters worse, a
cold north wind sprang up, cutting us to the bone.
We wandered aimlessly along for two hours, discussing the advantages or
otherwise of making a tentless camp where we were, without fuel for a
fire, food for ourselves, fodder for the mules, or even a drop of water.
Just as we were about to unload the mules a voice hailed us from the
darkness, and the welcome barking of dogs told us that we were near some
human habitation. To our joy we found not fifty yards from us a cluster
of huts, including an inn, surrounded by a high mud wall. The latter had
effectually hidden the lights of the huts, and but for the vigilance of
the innkeeper we should have been condemned to spend the night exposed
to hunger, thirst and a bitter north wind.
The following day we pursued our course over steep mountain peaks, down
frightful chasms and treacherous cliffs, and over wastes of sinking
sand, but at last we reached Ching-pien Hsien, a small garrison town
within a mile of the Great Wall, and the longed for Ordos Desert.
However pleased we might be at having reached our goal we were
nevertheless far from comfortable. The weather had turned very cold
again; nothing but the very poorest food was obtainable. The air was
filled with fine sand, which got into our eyes, scrunched between our
teeth, and stung our faces as it was driven by the cruel north wind.
“... I think never saw
Such starved ignoble nature; nothing throve:
For flowers—as well expect a cedar grove!
But cockle, spurge, according to their law
Might propagate their kind, with none to awe,
You’d think; a burr had been a treasure-trove.
· · · · ·
As for the grass, it grew as scant as hair
In leprosy; thin dry blades pricked the mud
Which underneath looked kneaded up with blood.”
The utter dreariness and desolation of the surrounding country, together
with the poverty and wretchedness of the inhabitants, combined to
depress and harass our spirits, which were only restored to their normal
condition by the assurance that the country beyond the Wall was much
better. We made a short excursion as far as the Wall, and climbing one
of the isolated towers, obtained our first view of the Ordos.
A wide expanse of sand, thickly studded with trees gave promise of
better things in store.
On the following day, April 11, we lost no time in leaving behind us the
miserable town of Ching-pien, and for some miles travelled northward
through a country that grew more promising with each succeeding step.
Flocks of stately cranes fed on the stretches of reddish sand, while
innumerable trees, chiefly willows, arranged in long rows, relieved our
eyes, after the days of barren wastes we had endured.
In crossing a deep ravine, just after leaving Ching-pien, we nearly lost
one of our mules with its precious burden, comprising our only stores,
in some deadly quicksands. It was only a miracle that saved the animal.
As it was much of our food got wet, and some of it was rendered useless.
That evening we reached the end of the broad belt of trees, and put up
at a small farmstead named Ning-t’ieh-liao, which we were surprised to
find was owned by Chinese.
We learnt that the Chinese here, and elsewhere along the Ordos border,
are gradually pushing further and further into the Mongol territory.
By planting rows of trees they prevent the drifting and piling up into
dunes of the loose shifting sand. They manage thus to grow crops of
millet, such areas as they do not cultivate producing a coarse grass.
This with the leaves of the willows forms the chief food for their
flocks of sheep and goats.
We spent April 12 at this farmstead, drying out our stores and exploring
the immediate vicinity. We found that the river that flows past
Ching-pien continues northward into the desert, subsequently turning
eastward and flowing back into Chinese territory.
Being anxious to see something of the Mongols themselves we left
Ning-t’ieh-liao the following day, taking a northerly direction.
We were told that the Tartars lived some twelve miles away, and that it
would be necessary to hire a guide to lead us across a difficult stretch
of sandhills. We therefore engaged the services of a stupid yokel, who
had accompanied us from Ching-pien, and who claimed to know some of the
Mongol families.
We soon left behind us the belt of willows, and passing a small lagoon,
from which Anderson secured a fine grey-lag goose, we entered the dunes.
Considerable difficulty was experienced with the mules, whose small
hoofs sank deep into the sand. Spills were frequent. Once all four mules
were down together, piling one atop of the other as they rolled down a
more than usually steep slope. Great confusion followed, and it was only
with the greatest care that animals and loads were extricated without
serious damage.
We also found going very difficult and tiresome, owing to the looseness
of the sand.
At last after we had passed through a belt of tall scrub, there opened
out before us a long and broad stretch of grass land dotted over with
lagoons and marshes. As we approached these we noted vast numbers of
waterfowl of every description. Grey-lag geese and sheld-ducks wandered
in pairs between the tussocks of coarse grass in search of food. Flocks
of stately cranes and lordly bustards waded knee deep in the marshes, or
fed upon the grassy meadows. Teal and ducks of every variety blackened
the surface of the lagoons, while plovers flapped heavily overhead
uttering their plaintive calls.
Scattered far and wide over the plain were innumerable herds of ponies
and cattle, the property of the Mongols whose huts and tents we could
see on the opposite edge of the grassland.
We made our way across to one of these huts, where we interrogated the
goodwife, who was brought to the door by the barking of some savage and
wolfish looking dogs. She refused us shelter on the ground that she
could not supply our mules with the necessary fodder.
We passed on to the next hut and met with a similar reception. At last
after trying several farmsteads we reached a newly built, two-roomed
hut, enclosed in a neat willow fence, and, unloading our mules we
refused to proceed any further.
Finding that these border Mongols could speak Chinese fluently, I went
into the hut to discuss with the owners of the place, a newly married
couple, the much vexed question of quarters for ourselves and fodder for
our mules.
The Mongols were polite, and offered us shelter for one night only, this
being the custom. More they dared not do, or they would be held
responsible for our actions. It was plain that they were suspicious of
us, and my explanation that we were collecting small animals only seemed
to deepen their suspicions. Evidently they had not yet experienced the
eccentricities of white men.
At last we decided to take what we could get, and as we could not bring
ourselves to sleep in the hut with the natives, we put up our beds
inside the willow fence.
We were next invited to take some salted tea, in which parched millet
was steeped. This was not very palatable, but was better than nothing.
The hut was built after the manner of those occupied by the poorer
Chinese, and, as already stated, was enclosed by a high willow fence.
There were also stables and storehouses built of willow stems plastered
over with mud. The confines of our hosts’ property were marked by a low
mud wall, about two feet high, outside which was a ditch of
corresponding depth.
A well, some six feet in depth, supplied the residents and their cattle
with water, that of the lagoons in the district being too brackish for
either man or beast. Even the wells were far from sweet.
Outside and opposite the gate of the enclosure was a long pole stuck
into an immense wicker basket filled with sand. From a crosspiece near
the top of the pole depended several pieces of white and red calico,
while the end of the pole was adorned with a tuft of dry grass. The
whole contrivance formed a sort of totem pole, having something to do
with the religious ceremonies of the owners. We noticed one of these
poles outside every Mongol hut or tent.
The tents of these Mongols were of the usual pattern—wooden framework
covered with coarse felt, usually of a black colour.
We soon found that these people were intensely superstitious, practising
a sort of demon worship. Everywhere, they said, were malign spirits,
which must not be offended. Thus I was called sharply to book, when I
inadvertently sat upon the coping of the mud fireplace. It was insulting
the “fire demon.” Again, as we approached one of the huts, the muleteers
led their animals across the low boundary wall, when an old woman rushed
out and cursed us roundly, while her daughter tore the bells off the
mules. Completely discomfited by the vigorous onslaught we retired in
disorder, afterwards learning that some religious function in connexion
with the birth of a child was in progress, and the ringing of the bells
within the confines of the farmstead would attract evil spirits.
At one place we were refused admission on the ground that they were
having a spring cleaning of devils, and if we entered we would assuredly
bring some with us. Even at the place where we did secure quarters our
baggage was left outside the enclosure long enough for the demons it
contained to escape.
Our hostess on finding a snake inside the mud wall very carefully
carried it outside, and refused to let us have it for a specimen, saying
that it would not do to offend the snake spirit.
For the rest these people are Buddhists, one or more of the sons in each
family becoming lamas.
In physique the Ordos Mongols are superior to the Chinese. They are a
tall well built race, admirably fitted to wrest a living from the cruel
desert in which they live. The women are good looking, some even
beautiful, while their lives in the open give them a grace of carriage
together with a strength and freedom of movement never seen inside the
Wall. They can ride barebacked, and with the ease and grace of a cowboy,
the shaggy and wicked little ponies that they rear upon the surrounding
grasslands.
They wear a peculiar headdress of silver-mounted coral and turquoise
beads, surmounted by a gold embroidered cap, while their hair falls over
their shoulders in two thick strands. The rest of their ordinary attire
is similar to that of the men, which is the usual Manchu dress—baggy
trousers and long coat or gown of blue surmounted by a large sleeveless
waistcoat of some bright colour. Only in the absence of buskins does the
women’s dress differ from that of the men.
On gala days, which the women celebrate equally freely with the men, the
former sport silk robes of the most gorgeous and vivid colours, and even
the latter manage to don clothes of gayer hues.
They are a light-hearted, cheery people, always on the look-out for fun,
and always playing jokes upon one another.
As already stated a large proportion of the men are lamas, who have
their heads shaved and wear long robes of red or yellow, with sashes of
the same colours. These priests are supposed to be celibate, but we saw
several with large and flourishing families.
The food of these Mongols consists in winter of mutton and beef, but in
summer they live almost entirely upon parched millet, which to render
palatable they steep in salted tea. The millet, a poor and coarse
variety, they grow themselves.
For fuel they depend almost entirely upon the droppings of their cattle,
which when dried they call “argol.” Camel “argols” are undoubtedly the
best fuel of this nature.
While setting some traps in the willow scrub that fringed the
grasslands, dividing them from the wastes of sand beyond, we noticed
great numbers of hares, which, as dusk came on, left the sheltering
bushes, and frolicked or fed upon the meadow land. We also saw a few
pheasants and partridges.
Next day, having brought in our traps and packed our baggage we loaded
the mules, and were about to start, when up rode a well dressed old man,
wearing a mandarin’s hat and blue button, and accompanied by two
attendants. Jumping from his pony he saluted us, producing a crucifix to
show that he belonged to the true faith. After exchanging civilities we
told him of our difficulty in finding quarters. He at once gave us
permission to stay where we pleased as long as we chose. Our erstwhile
hosts promptly offered us further hospitality, but with such a charter
as we now had we preferred to go further in search of better collecting
grounds and more commodious quarters. The old chief offered us rooms in
his own home, which he said was at a place named Borrobalgosun some
twenty miles westward. Accordingly we set out together in that direction
and soon were engaged in friendly conversation.
We found that our new friend thought that we were Catholic priests, of
which religion he was a convert. On finding that we were not even
missionaries of any other sect, he changed his attitude towards us. He
was still polite, but less _bonhomme_ and presently he withdrew his
invitation to stay at his home.
However he promised to find us quarters elsewhere, and excusing himself
on the plea that he had some business to attend to, set his pony at a
gallop and was soon out of sight, leaving us to follow as best we could.
At last after passing several more farmsteads, we came to a cluster of
huts, outside which our friend awaited us. We were well received, being
at once shown into a spare room, and offered salted tea and millet.
Mr. Bluebutton introduced us to our host, and all arrangements were made
for a stay of some days, after which, said he, we would be welcome to
Borrobalgosun. Things having thus been arranged to his entire
satisfaction, the chief bade us a hearty farewell, and with his minions
rode away into the west.
We at once set about making ourselves as comfortable as possible. We got
out our traps, but met with little success. The only things caught were
specimens of ground squirrels (_Citellus mongolicus_) and two varieties
of gerbils (_Meriones unguiculatus_ and _M. auceps_), together with the
hare.
An attempt to secure some antelopes failed, though quite a number were
seen. Specimens of a snake (_Coluber dione_) and two lizards
(_Phrynocephalus frontalis_ and _Eremias argus_) were added to the
collection. Besides the waterfowl and game birds already mentioned,
wheatears and larks seemed to be the only feathered denizens of these
sandy wastes.
The scarcity of animal life was a great disappointment to us, and we
decided to waste no more time in this locality. The muleteers came to us
complaining that they could get no grain for their mules, while very
little fodder was to be had. The obstinate animals refused the coarse
alkali-impregnated herbage that grew around. Our own stores also were
sadly diminished, and we were told that we would not fare better by
going to Borrobalgosun, where nothing but parched millet was to be had.
Under these circumstances we decided to head for Yü-lin Fu, where we
could replenish our stock of provisions, and properly equipped could
once more attempt to penetrate the desert.
Five days we travelled in a north-easterly direction across
heartbreaking sand dunes. By the end of the first day we had left behind
us the Tartar encampments, and found ourselves once more in country
occupied by Chinese.
The villages we passed were few and far between and we suffered
considerably from thirst and heat. The white sand reflected the blinding
rays of the sun, which shone ever more fiercely, till our eyes ached and
our faces scorched and peeled.
From time to time we crossed shallow rivers, all of which flowed in a
south-easterly direction. They had cut down through the fifty feet or so
of sand to bedrock, which consisted of the same red sandstone that we
had noticed at the sources of the Yen-shui. At one place there was a
wonderful natural arch spanning the river, over which the road lay.
On the third day, April 18, we reached a place named Hai-liu-t’u-ho,
where we secured the first specimen of the Ordos jerboa (_Dipus
sowerbyi_).
Herbage of any sort was very scarce, dwarf willows, a coarse grass and a
sort of sage brush composing the sparsely distributed thickets.
In one or two places we came across a species of conifer, which grew in
thick clusters amongst the sand hills, and which we found to be very
resinous, burning furiously even when quite fresh and green.
April 19 we spent at Hai-liu-t’u-ho in the hope of securing some more
jerboas. Two more were brought in by the natives. That day a terrible
sandstorm sprang up, so that when we set out the following day there was
no sign of a road. We could not hire a guide as the people refused to
have anything further to do with us. A baby and a cow had died in the
village during our stay, and the superstitious natives looked upon us as
the cause of these disasters.
The consequence was that we soon went astray. Another sandstorm
commenced, and before long we were hopelessly lost. For hours we
wandered over the dunes with blinded eyes and sand-choked lungs, but at
last we found a desolate looking farm, the owner of which we induced by
promise of reward to set us on the right road once more. This he did,
and we were able to keep to it by following some newly made tracks.
The following day we reached Yü-lin Fu, a large border town, situated on
the bank of the Yü-lin Ho, some three miles south of the Great Wall.
Here we found comfortable quarters, and thankful we were to escape for a
time the all-pervading sand.
We at once set about making plans for another trip into the Ordos, but
first we decided to offer money for specimens. A notice to the effect
that the foreigners were willing to buy wild animals was put up at the
South Gate, where all the country people and market gardeners would see
it.
Within a few days we reaped a rich reward, so much so that we abandoned
any idea of making another journey into the desert. Jerboas, hedgehogs,
hamster rats, molerats, chipmunks and ground squirrels were brought in
in great numbers. Of these the jerboa (_Dipus sowerbyi_), the hedgehog
(_Erinaceus miodon_) and the sand hamster (_Phodopus bedfordiæ_) proved
to be new species, while the chipmunk (_Eutamias asiaticus ordinalis_)
was a new subspecies. Besides these a fine badger (_Meles
leptorhynchus_) and a wild cat’s skin were purchased.
One day we visited a peculiar fort guarding a gate in the Great Wall,
through which once passed the high road between Yü-lin Fu and Pao-t’ou,
a large town on the northern border of the Ordos, The fort consists of
three massive blocks of masonry built one upon the other. The largest at
the base measures ninety feet square, while the whole edifice is about
ninety feet high.
The Wall all along the Ordos border has crumbled away, leaving little
more than a slight ridge. The watch towers which are situated at
intervals of about three hundred yards, are, however, intact and serve
still to mark the boundary line. It is obvious that the Wall in these
parts was not faced with brick.
Yü-lin Fu is a prosperous military town with some seven thousand
inhabitants. It is supposed to maintain a garrison of one thousand men
to overawe the Mongols. Its walls are in good repair, and enclose many
elegant temples. Like all the other border towns that we passed Yü-lin
Fu is for ever threatened with inundation by the vast sea of sand that
rolls in from the north and west. But for the river that flows past its
western wall the city would long ago have been submerged, and even now
the officials are continually perplexed with the problem, as sand,
sweeping round from the north, banks itself against the eastern wall in
many places right up to the battlements, forming an easy entrance for
the belated traveller. We explored all the temples inside the city, but
found nothing of extraordinary interest.
At length having made a sufficiently large collection, we decided to
make a move, and on May 14 left the city by the East-Gate, heading in a
north-easterly direction. Gradually we approached the Wall, and did not
lose sight of its grey towers till we were within a day’s journey of the
Yellow River and Shansi.
At intervals of about twelve miles we passed the dilapidated remains of
small garrison towns now inhabited by a few poverty-stricken families.
The country as we journeyed became more broken, and the mules had
considerable difficulty in negotiating the steep slopes covered with
drifts of sand. Towards the end of the first day we found ourselves on
somewhat more elevated land, cut up in every direction by frightful
chasms, which descended abruptly for hundreds of feet. Here our mules
were momentarily threatened with destruction, as the path frequently led
along the very edges of these precipices, and the loose soil continually
broke away under their feet.
These chasms have certainly formed since the building of the Wall, for
they frequently cut right across its length. To circumvent an unusually
long one, we had to cross the Wall and make a long detour into the
desert.
[Illustration:
PLATE III.
[_Photo by M. P. Anderson._
IDOLS IN TEMPLE CAVE NEAR YEN-AN FU.
_Opposite p. 30._]
]
That night we put up at an isolated inn called Tuan-ch’iang, situated
beneath the shelter of the Wall, and on the edge of a chasm some five
hundred feet deep.
The following day another long detour into the desert was made, and we
stopped for our midday meal at a little village situated at the end of a
ravine in the sand. A clear stream, springing from beneath the wall of
sand at the end of the ravine flowed along its bottom irrigating some
small fields of black clayey soil, which supported good crops.
We followed down the stream till we reached a river, along whose banks
we travelled till we came to a fair-sized town named Kao-chia-pu, where
we put up for the night.
A guide, whom we engaged, here told me that forty years ago, when he was
a boy, the Mohammedan rebels crossed the Ordos from Ning-hsia in the
west, and devastated the whole region. He distinctly remembered their
entry into Kao-chia-pu when they massacred all who did not escape into
the surrounding hills.
The following day after a long hard march of some thirty miles we
reached a large town named Shên-mu Hsien. We had now left behind us sand
and loess, and were in hilly country composed mainly of sandstone.
On May 19 we descended from the high ground, and travelled down a long
valley, making our midday halt at a small place named Ku-shan-pu.
My companion and I were some distance ahead of our mules when we entered
the village, where a fair was in progress. Finding an inn we sought our
usual rest from the noonday heat, but were soon disturbed by the crowd
which became very aggressive.
I went out to pacify them and before I was aware of what was going on,
found myself the centre of an angry mob. Cries of “Sa! Sa!” (kill, kill)
assailed my ears, and the excited natives began to stone me. Convinced
that my end had come, I resolved to sell my life dearly, but had no
weapon save my bare fists with which to defend myself. I struck out
right and left with all the force of desperation, feeling a grim
pleasure as each successive blow laid one of my assailants low. At last
my chance came. I was fighting towards a wall so as to gain protection
for my back, which was being badly bruised, when the ringleader of the
gang of desperadoes came for a moment between me and my goal. With all
the force I could muster I let fly at his head, driving it with a thud
against the wall. Down he went like a pole-axed ox and lay stunned. At
this the mob broke up and fled. By now my temper was thoroughly roused
and I resolved to teach those cowardly outlaws a lesson. Chasing the
flying mob, I jerked two or three over onto their backs by sharp tugs at
their outstretched queues. One man in his haste to get away tumbled head
foremost into a large earthen jar of water. The mob made a rush for the
gate of the inn yard, where they were met by Anderson, who was
returning, all aboil, from a sharp fight in the street. There in the
gate we caught the twenty odd, now cringing, Chinese, and hammered them,
till, in sheer desperation, they pushed past Anderson and fled up the
street. We next cleared the street and then bruised, with bleeding
knuckles, and torn clothes, but triumphant, we returned to the inn to
secure our interrupted rest.
The end of the day found us at Fu-ku Hsien, on the banks of the Yellow
River, and crossing in a ferry we put up at an inn in the suburb of
Pao-tê Chow.
These two towns are situated on high loess hills facing one another on
either side of the Yellow River, the passage of which they are supposed
to hold against invading Mongols.
Neither of the towns is populous, but large suburbs have sprung up on
the banks of the river below them.
At Pao-tê Chow we stayed for a few days collecting, but meeting with
little success, we left the place and headed for a wooded area in the
mountains some two days’ journey to the south-east. Here we secured
quarters at a farmstead situated at the top of a high loess ridge.
The surrounding country was well wooded and we made excellent
collections of voles, mice and hamsters. Two new voles (_Microtus
johannes_ and _M. Inez_) were secured in this district. Some vipers
(_Ancistrodon intermedius_) were also caught.
The forest and woods, which were rapidly being cut down, consisted
mainly of spruce, larch and pine. The open hillsides at the time of our
visit were ablaze with the rich yellow blossoms of the wild rose and the
delicate mauve of the lilac. Some varieties of hawthorn and blackthorn
were also noticed, while a species of wild pear (_Pyrus sp._) was found
growing on the hilltops. In places the ground was thickly covered with
Solomon’s seal, lilies and other flowering herbs.
The mountains themselves were composed of limestone, of the usual grey
colour, covered in most places with thick deposits of loess and a very
fertile soil. In spite of the abundant vegetation the district was very
dry and drinking-water scarce. Daily our mules and those of our host had
to make a six mile journey to secure water at a spring which was rapidly
drying up, owing to drought, and the number of farms it supplied.
After a stay of ten days we moved on to K’o-lan Chou, a dilapidated town
some three days’ journey north-west of T’ai-yüan Fu. From here we
travelled northward to Ning-wu Fu, passing Wu-tsai Hsien and Ch’ên-ch’êh
Hsien on our way, both of which towns are situated on a wide plain
stretching away to the Yellow River and Ordos Desert. Neither of these
towns is of much importance.
Ning-wu Fu is a poor looking city of no great importance. Its walls,
temples and gate towers are in a sad state of disrepair. It is situated
on the Hui Ho, a tributary of the San-kan Ho, near the source of the Fên
Ho. The inner loop of the Great Wall passes from east to west about five
miles to the north, and its towers may be seen from the city wall.
On a hill behind the city lie two very large tower-forts, long abandoned
and allowed to crumble and decay.
The business quarter of the city is small and unimportant, showing how
poor the inhabitants are. There is no special produce or manufacture,
and but for the fact that the surrounding districts are governed from
this city, it would doubtless cease to exist as such.
At Tung-tsai near Ning-wu Fu we collected a good series of molerats
(_Myospalax fontanus_), chipmunks (_Eutamias asiaticus intercessor_) and
pikas (_Ochotona bedfordi_). Of these the molerat, which was first
identified as _Myospalax fontanieri_ was new to science, while the
chipmunk proving to be an intermediate form between the Chihli species
(_E. a. senescens_) and that from the Ordos (_E. a. ordinalis_) was
described as a new subspecies.
Single specimens of the little wood pika (_Ochotona sorella_) and the
allactaga (_Allactaga mongolica_) were secured. The former of these
turned out to be a new species, and it is very rare.
On June 26 we left Ning-wu Fu, travelling in an easterly direction as
far as a small town named T’ai-niu-tien, after spending the night at
which place we continued as far as Hsin Chow in a south-easterly
direction. From here two easy stages brought us to T’ai-yüan Fu on June
30.
We had been away for five months, during which time we had not set eyes
on a European other than ourselves, had completed a circuit of
considerably over one thousand miles, and had made a collection of three
hundred and fifty mammals including thirty-three species, twelve of
which were subsequently described as new. Some dozen species of reptiles
and batrachians were also secured, besides a small collection of birds.