MONGOLIA--_continued_.
Our lama received sundry visitors at Mingan, and had evidently some
business to transact with them, for we soon saw him in earnest
converse with some of the strangers in his tent, passing their hands
into each others' sleeves as if bargaining with the fingers. This
resulted in the sale of one of our camels--the one that had broken
down. Our conductor had more matters to settle than that, however,
but he was prevented by circumstances beyond his control. The fact
is that on such occasions the Mongols consider it indispensable
to imbibe freely of spirits, and our lama had to stand a bottle
of _samshu_, a very ardent spirit made from rice. The Mongols
drink liberally when they have a chance, and the Mingan lama was
no exception to the rule, for in a short time he got so drunk as
to become unmanageable. He began by breaking the tent-poles, no
slight calamity in a country without wood; he soon became helpless,
and lay down on his back, refusing absolutely to move. All idea of
further business was abandoned, and the drunken Mongol's friends
were ashamed, not so much at the exhibition he was making, but at
the mischief he had perpetrated. He could hardly lie on his back,
but they deemed that no valid objection to his riding on horseback.
They therefore caught his pony, by main force lifted him on, and
put the reins in his hands. The pony started off across the plain
in the direction of his home, quietly enough at first; but the
drunken rider began to swing about and stretch out his right hand,
as the Mongols do when they want to excite their ponies to unusual
exertion. The pony went off at full gallop, throwing up clouds of
sand behind him as he went; the rider's motions became more and more
centrifugal until at last he rolled over and sprawled full length on
the sand, apparently with no intention of moving. His friends rode
after his pony, caught it, and hobbled it beside its master, and as
evening was drawing on they left them both to their fate. Another
of the party, not so far gone, was merrily drunk. He tried to work
up a dispute with our Mongols, and promised us some amusement, but
he also was got on his pony by the persuasion of his son, who was
with him. The boy was ashamed of his papa, and did his best to take
him off the field. They made several false starts together, but the
old fellow grew warmer and more excited, again and again turning his
horse's head and returning to our tent to "have it out." At last the
young one prevailed, and they rode off together and disappeared in
the distance. We were now left alone, at sunset, and our poor lama
was left lamenting on his bad day's work, his waste of much good
liquor to no purpose, and his broken tent-poles.
The Mongols are a pitiable set on foot, with their loose clumsy
leather boots, but they are at home on horseback. From their
earliest years they may be said to live on horseback, and the women
are almost as expert as the men, mounting any animal that comes
handiest, whether horse, cow, or camel, with or without saddle. Huc
says he never saw a Mongol unhorsed; but probably he never saw a
dead-drunk lama forcibly put on a fiery steed.
Our lama received Sycee silver for the camel he sold. Silver is
not much in use among the Mongols, their only real currency being
very coarse brick tea. But it is a mistake to suppose, as has been
stated, that they are ignorant of the value of money.
We got away about 7 in the evening. The wind had fortunately
lulled, and we passed a pretty comfortable night on the road,
which was alternately hard and sandy. My "Dolonor" pony, that had
been voluntarily following the caravan, began to find the pastures
getting too poor even for him, who had the privilege of grazing
day and night. The last two days he remained faithful, but on the
morning of the 2nd September, finding matters getting from bad to
worse, he pricked up his ears, about ship, and galloped straight
back by the way we had come. This was not much to be surprised at,
all things considered, and I could not help commending him for his
sagacity. The "Kitat" was despatched on his camel in quest of the
fugitive before I was awake. Had I been consulted I certainly should
not have consented to such a wild-goose chase, but the Mongols
thought themselves bound in honour not to lose anything, although it
was not in the contract that they were to look after ponies on the
journey.
[Illustration: HALT IN THE DESERT OF GOBI.
(Page 104.)]
It was a very dry morning, but we got water for ourselves and our
horses passing Borolji. The well there was very deep, and we were
indebted to the friendly aid of some Mongols, who happened to have
driven their cattle in to water, for obtaining a supply for our
beasts. The head shepherd had brought with him a small bucket made
of sheepskin, attached to the end of a long pole to enable him to
reach the water. His own beasts were very thirsty and impatient
to drink; the horses especially crowded eagerly round the well,
neighing, biting, and kicking each other in their efforts to gain
the best places. Nevertheless, the polite Mongol drew water for us
first, and allowed us to continue our march. We kept on till 1.30,
when we pitched our tents on the steppe, called "Gunshandak." No
grass at all grows here, but the sand is slightly shaded with green
by a small wild leek, that grows in form much like the Mongolian
grass. We had frequently observed this plant already sprinkled
amongst the grass, but in Gunshandak it flourishes to the exclusion
of everything else. The sheep and camels thrive on it. Our ponies
also ate it freely, perhaps because they could get nothing else, and
when our cattle were brought in from feeding they had a strong smell
of onions about them.
The Kitat not having come up with my pony, we did not hurry away,
and our Mongols availed themselves of the delay to buy and kill
a goat from a neighbouring flock. We also bought a sheep for two
rubles, or about six shillings. The seller, on being asked to kill
it, told us we might do it ourselves. This was not to be thought of,
and our own Mongols were too much occupied with their goat. We had,
therefore, to resort to a little craft, for the sheep must certainly
be put to death before we could eat it. Addressing the man, we said,
how can we lamas kill an animal? This was sufficient. "Oh, you are
lamas!" and he proceeded at once to business. The dexterity with
which these Mongols kill and cut up a sheep is truly marvellous.
They kill with a small knife which they insert into the belly, just
below the breast-bone. Death is almost instantaneous. The object
of this mode of slaughter is to save the blood inside the animal.
Skinning is an easy process and soon done. The sheep is laid on his
back on the sand, the skin is spread out on either side, a strip
down the back being left attached while the cutting up is going on.
The skin thus serves as a table, and so well does it answer the
purpose that they will cut up a sheep into small pieces, and put
everything, including lights and liver, on the skin, without ever
touching the sand. The Mongols have a perfect practical knowledge of
the anatomy of the sheep, and sever every joint with perfect ease,
with only a small pocket-knife, no other instrument being used in
any part of the process. The rapidity with which the whole thing is
done, is astonishing. Our butcher was unluckily called away during
the operation to retrieve a young camel that had been crying for its
dam all the morning, and had now broken its tether, so that I could
not time him accurately. I shall not state the number of minutes
usually occupied from the time a sheep is purchased till the mutton
is ready for the pot, for I could hardly expect to be believed. On
removing the intestines, &c., the blood is found all together in
a pool. It is then carefully baled out and put into the cooking
pan, or _taga_, for nothing is thrown away here. We gave ours to
the butcher, as also the skin and the whole of the inside, except
liver and kidneys. The wandering Mongols scent a sheep-killing like
vultures, and there are never wanting some old women to lend a
hand in making black-puddings, and such like, who are rewarded for
their trouble by a share of the feast; for among the Mongols the
first instalment of their sheep is eaten in less than half an hour
from the time it is killed. The Mongol sheep are generally in good
condition, but there is no fat about them at all, except in the
tail, which is a heavy lump of pure suet, said to weigh sometimes
ten pounds. The condition of the animal is judged by the weight of
the tail. The Mongols use but little water in cleaning their mutton.
The ubiquitous old woman, who instals herself as pudding-maker,
handles the intestines in a delicate and artistic manner. She first
of all turns them all inside out, and then coils them up into hard,
sausage-shaped knots, without stuffing, which take up very little
space in the pot. These and all the other loose things are first
put into the pot, with the addition of as much of the meat as it
will hold. The pot is filled so full that the water does not cover
the meat, but that is of no consequence to the Mongols. It is soon
cooked, and quickly eaten. When sufficiently boiled, one of the
company adroitly snatches the meat, piece by piece, from the boiling
cauldron, with his fingers, and distributes it in fair proportions
to the anxious expectants seated round. They never burn their
fingers by this snap-dragon process. Their manner of eating mutton
is most primitive, and I will also say disgusting. Each person gets
a large lump or two, either in his lap, or on the mat on which
he sits. He then takes a piece in his left hand as big as he can
grasp; and, with the inevitable small knife in his right, he cuts
off nuggets of mutton, using his thumb as a block, in the manner
of cutting Cavendish tobacco. They literally bolt their mutton,
and use no salt, bread, or sauce of any kind in eating it. When
they have got all the meat off, they pare and scrape the bones very
carefully, and when that is done, they break the bones up, and eat
the marrow. Nothing is thrown away, except part of the eye, and the
trotters. The tail is considered a delicacy, and is reserved for the
head lama, or the honoured guest, who generously shares it with the
others. I need only say that this mass of rich suet is eaten as I
have described above.
When the solid part of the entertainment has been despatched, they
put up their knives after wiping them on their clothes, and then
proceed to drink the broth in their wooden cups. If they have any
millet, they like to throw a little into the broth as they drink it.
The millet gets softened a little as the cup is rapidly replenished,
but no further cooking is necessary. When the broth is finished,
they put clean water into the taga with a handful or two of brick
tea, and go to sleep while it is boiling. The tea so made has of
course a greasy appearance, and this practice of cooking everything
in the same pot has probably given rise to the belief that they
boil mutton and tea together, eating the leaves of the tea with the
mutton. There may be Tartar tribes who do this, but the Khalkas
Mongols certainly do not. The tea leaves, or rather stalks,--for
their bricks are made up of tea dust and timber,--are always thrown
away. It is necessary to boil the tea to get anything out of it
at all, and it is of course bitter and ill flavoured. I have drunk
it when hard up; and when it is well diluted with milk it is not
unpalatable, when you can get nothing else.
The Mongol tastes no doubt seem to us very unrefined, but they are
natural. The great esteem in which they hold the fat as compared
with the lean of mutton, is a plain expression of the direction in
which their ordinary regimen is defective. It is well known that
fat and farinaceous foods ultimately fulfil the same purposes in
the human economy; they mutually compensate, and one or other is
absolutely necessary. We thus find fat and oils eagerly sought
after, wherever, as among the Mongols and Esquimaux, the cultivation
of cereals is forbidden by soil and climate.
The value of a scale of diet does not, as might at first sight
be supposed, consist in the prominence of any one article, but
depends on the different ingredients which are necessary to sustain
health, being duly proportioned; and wherever the food of a people
is necessarily composed of one substance almost exclusively, the
natural appetite will always mark out as delicacies those which are
deficient. It is to this want of due proportion in the elements of
diet that we must attribute the comparative muscular weakness of the
Mongols, in spite of the abundant supply of mutton and the bracing
air of the desert. The coolies of China and Japan greatly excel them
in feats of strength, and in power of endurance, because the rice on
which they feed contains a more varied proportion of the elements
that nourish life, the poor quality of the fare being compensated by
the incredible quantities which they consume.
Our Mongols having slept off their first meal and drunk their tea,
put the pot on the fire again, and cooked the remainder of the goat,
on which they had another heavy blow-out late in the afternoon.
The rapacity and capacity of a Mongol stomach is like that of a
wild beast. They are brought up to eat when they can, and fast when
they must, and their digestion is never deranged by either of these
conditions. They very much resemble their own camels in those useful
qualities so necessary to the inhabitants of a desert. Our Mongols
had really eaten nothing since leaving Chan-kia-kow. They had fasted
for seven days at least, and gone almost entirely without sleep all
that time, and yet suffered nothing from the fatigue they must have
endured. They had certainly some millet seed and some Chinese dough,
a little of which they put into their tea as they drank it, but of
actual food they had none. They had now laid in a supply which would
last them another week. They seldom carry meat with them, finding it
more convenient to take it in their stomachs.
Lest it be thought that we also adopted the Mongol way of living, I
must explain that we had a very complete set of cooking utensils,
plates, knives and forks, and every other accessory to civilised
feeding. We certainly had to a great extent to educate ourselves to
live on one meal a day, but that was but a distant approach to the
Mongol habit of eating but once a week.
We made a long day of it on the steppe Gunshandak, hoping every hour
that the Kitat would return. The country was so desert that there
was no population, and only two yourts were near us. Our encampment
was some distance off the track, and we had consequently no visits
from travellers, so we spent a very quiet day. In the afternoon the
camels were brought in, and Tellig and the lama examined them all
narrowly. Their condition was really becoming serious, for not only
were they tired and worn out, but their backs were getting very
bad. They are very subject to this. Nearly all of them had large
deep holes in their backs, which penetrated almost through the
flesh between the ribs. Maggots breed very fast in these wounds,
and every few days the Mongols probe deep into the wound with a bit
of stick, and scoop the vermin out. The animals complain a little
during this operation, but on the whole they bear their ills with
marvellous patience. While the camels are grazing, the crows sit on
their backs and feed on the worms. It did seem cruel to put heavy
loads on such suffering creatures, but what else could be done?
Our ponies were falling off fast from want of food and rest. It was
severe on them to go eighteen hours without eating. But they were,
comparatively speaking, a luxury, and could be dispensed with. The
camels were essential, and could not be replaced in the desert. The
lama betrayed considerable anxiety for his camels, and began to talk
of getting fresh ones at a place called _Tsagan-tuguruk_, where
there is a _sumé_ or temple. We gathered from him that his family
lived there, and that he could easily exchange his camels for fresh
ones, if only he could reach that rendezvous. But Tsagan-tuguruk
was four days' journey from us, and our used-up cattle did not look
as if they could hold out so long. But we live in hope, for it is
foolish to anticipate misfortunes.
We have hitherto met no caravans since leaving China, excepting long
trains of ox-carts carrying timber from Urga.
The day wore on and no Kitat appeared. The Mongols strained their
eyes to descry some sign on the horizon, then looked anxiously at
the sun fast sinking in the west, and made up their minds to remain
in the steppe all night. The Mongols have no means of judging of
time except by guessing from the height of the sun or moon. I speak
only of my own experience, for Huc says they can tell the time of
day by looking at a cat's eyes. For my part I did not see a cat
in the whole of Mongolia. Dogs they have in plenty. They are of
the same breed as the common dog of China, but rather larger and
with thicker coats. They are useful to the shepherds and are good
watch dogs, not so thoroughly domestic as their Chinese congeners,
but will run after one a great distance from their yourt barking
ferociously. They are great curs, however, and their bark is worse
than their bite. It is a singular thing that the Mongols do not
feed their dogs; nor do the Chinese, as a rule. They are supposed
to forage for themselves, and in Mongolia they must be put to great
straits occasionally.
The day had been very warm, and, the air being still, in the evening
we slept in the carts. It was always warmer and more comfortable to
sleep in the tent, but our bedding had to be moved, and the oftener
that was done the more sand got into our blankets.
The nights in Mongolia were beautiful, sky very clear, and stars
bright. The "harvest moon," that had been such a boon to us in our
night travelling, now rose late. In a few days it would be over, and
we should have dark nights to travel in.
After a luxurious night's rest, the first we had had for a week,
we awoke to see the sun rise on the steppe, and almost fancied
ourselves at sea. So indeed we were in a figurative sense, for
there was still no appearance of the missing Mongol. We were now in
the humour to take things patiently; and the sheep we had killed
yesterday enabled us to prepare a breakfast that for a desert
might fairly be called sumptuous. The day was passed in idleness,
for not a feather of a bird was to be seen to afford an excuse
for taking our guns out. Visits were paid and received between us
and the Mongols who lived in the two yourts near us, and our lama
fraternised with them, and got the women to bring us argols and
water. The women, as a rule, keep the house and do the cooking and
darning, only going out after the flocks when the men are out of the
way.
The lamas carry their principle of not killing animals to an
extremity that is sorely inconvenient to themselves. They are not
exempt from parasitical connections; in fact, the person of a lama,
considered as a microcosm, is remarkably well inhabited. He cannot,
with his own hand, "procure the transmigration" of any animal, in
case it should contain the soul of his grandfather, or some past
or future Bhudda; but when the population presses on the means of
subsistence, something must be done. In this juncture the services
of some benevolent female are called in, the lama strips to the
waist, and commits his person and his garment to her delicate and
practised manipulation.
We determined to start at sunset, Kitat or no Kitat, and with one
long-lingering look over the vast plain we had crossed, at sunset
we did start. We soon met a caravan of sixty camels, which was
refreshing to our eyes as evidence of the travelling season having
fairly commenced, affording us a better hope of finding fresh camels.
We had again to encounter rough stony roads during the night; in
fact, we seemed just to come to the bad roads as we were going to
sleep. How was it that we did not sometimes by accident stumble on
a bit of soft ground at night-time? The roads were perhaps not so
bad as our nocturnal imagination, stimulated by want of proper rest,
painted them. But whether or no, we had nothing to complain of on
this occasion, having enjoyed a sound unbroken sleep the previous
night; and surely one good night out of two is enough for any
reasonable being.
In the morning, passing over some rather steeper undulations
than usual, and in a very desert country, we came across a herd
of gurush. Some ineffectual shots were fired as usual. It was
tantalising in the extreme not to be able to bag one of these fine
animals when met with in such numbers as would have delighted the
heart of Gordon Cumming. About two o'clock we halted at Kutul-usu,
where we were agreeably surprised to find no less than six yourts
near our encampment, which was remarkable considering the scarcity
of grass. There is no grass at all, in fact, and our beasts return
from their grazing redolent of onions. A large ox-cart caravan was
also encamped at this place.
Our lama had long and earnest conversations with the Mongols of
Kutul-usu, and there was much going to and fro between our tents and
the yourts. There was something in the wind--we could not divine
what--until the lama again broached the subject of _Tsagan-tuguruk_,
the place where he expected new camels. His proposal was that he
should ride ahead on a pony, and get the camels ready by the time
the caravan came up. There were grave objections to this course,
for we were already short-handed from the absence of the Kitat, and
were we to be left with only one camel-driver, we should never be
able to keep the caravan together. The lama was importunate, and
at last we consented to his plan on condition: 1st, that he should
find a substitute to assist Tellig with the caravan; and 2nd, that
he should provide us with fresh ponies at Tsagan-tuguruk. The
substitute was soon found in an active-looking, wiry old man with
very bad eyes. The sun had set some time before the discussions and
preparations were concluded, and we were consequently compelled to
remain till the moon rose, which was not before eleven o'clock--half
the night gone and no progress made.
We had a rough night as usual, but we are getting into a more
broken country. In the morning we passed one of the numerous salt
plains that are spread over the great desert. Sometimes there is
water in them and sometimes not. This one was dry, but had a white
scurf of salt on the ground. A dark-green plant grows in tufts over
these plains, and is eaten by the animals in the absence of grass;
indeed, I am not sure whether the camels don't prefer it. It was
a hot thirsty day, and we were at great trouble to find a yourt in
which to rest and make chocolate in the morning. We did discover
one eventually after riding many miles, and there we fell in with a
sporting lama with two good-looking ponies, riding one and leading
the other. This seemed a good opportunity for business, and my
companion soon concluded an exchange operation, giving a pony with
an incipient sore back and two dollars to boot, for a good old sound
one of the lama's. We were in some doubt about finding our caravan,
having let it get a long way out of sight; but the wandering lama,
having a direct interest in discovering our party to get his two
dollars, soon scented them out by the same kind of instinct that
directs a bee to his distant hive. We took him some miles back out
of his way, but these people seem to care little in which direction
they go, or how much time they may lose in going from one place to
another.
The facility with which our Mongol friends found their way in
the open desert had often excited our admiration. At the end of
a night's march, although interrupted by numerous accidental
stoppages, they were never at a loss to know where they were. They
needed no land-mark to guide them, and in pitching their tent near a
well they never made a mistake as to its position. The explanation
seems to be that certain instincts are developed in proportion to
the want of artificial aids. Thus Chinese sailors cruise about their
dangerous coast by a kind of rule of thumb, and are able to judge
of their position in darkness and fog where scientific navigators
would be at fault. In Australia also it is found that the best
bush-ranger is generally the most ignorant man of the party. The
effect of education being to cause men to trust more and more to
acquired knowledge, the faculty of perception, which is possessed
in a high degree by the lower animals, becomes weakened for want of
exercise. Instinct and education mutually compensate each other;
and the lower we descend in the scale of humanity,--the nearer man
approaches to the condition of the inferior animals,--the more does
his mere instinct predominate over his higher mental faculties. The
senses are very acute in primitive peoples, because of the constant
exercise they get, or rather because of the necessity which compels
them to be guided by the senses in their daily lives. For to hear
or see abstractedly, or for pleasure or instruction, is a different
thing from using these senses with the conviction that the supply of
food perhaps depends on the accuracy of their indications.
As we approached our halting-place, _Ulan-Khada_, we witnessed a
remarkable phenomenon, which was a few dwarf trees, scorched and
scraggy, but still alive, growing in a sheltered nook in a pass over
some rocky hills. A little rill filters through the stone and sand,
and fresh soft grass is found in modest quantity beside the water.
Ulan-Khada is in a hollow surrounded by high ground, and three
yourts were seen from our camp. The wild leek still prevails.
The following day we stopped at Ude, and early on the morning
of the 7th of September, to our great joy, we reached the land
of promise,--the well-watered, grassy plain of Tsagan-tuguruk.
There was something cheering in the very name, associated as it
had been in our minds with the hoped-for end of our troubles and
uncertainties. Vast flocks and herds were seen in all directions,
and yourts in good number, though at great distances from each
other. Our lama, Tup-chun, was not here, but at his family yourt,
said to be six miles off. It was clear we must make a day of it,
at least, at Tsagan-tuguruk, and we at once proceeded to make
acquaintance with the natives of the nearest yourts, who came to
visit us. The next move was to buy a sheep, for we had been out of
mutton for some days, the hot sun preventing our keeping it long. A
Mongol jumped on his pony, and galloped off to his flock, caught a
big, fat sheep, swung it across the pommel of his saddle, and rode
back with it to our tent. That was soon done, but now came the lama
question again. Were we lamas, or Chara-chun? Now, _Chara-chun_
means, literally, "black man," and is the name applied to all
Mongols who are not lamas. To one or other of the two classes we
must belong. But we certainly were not black men, that was clear;
and if not black men, we were necessarily lamas. The Mongols worked
out the conclusion satisfactorily in their own minds, and lent
cheerful aid in killing and dressing our mutton, for that was the
great practical issue of the question.
We had heard much from Tellig and others of the sume, or temple of
Tuguruk, and we took a few Mongols with us and started off to visit
it. It is a neat little house built of stone, but the smallest place
of worship perhaps in the world, smaller even than some missionary
chapels I have seen. A priest came out of a neighbouring yourt, and
opened the door for us. The interior was covered all over with dust,
but we were already so dusty that we did not scruple to sit down.
Half the space was occupied by the materials for making yourts,
apparently new; and no doubt left by some wandering Mongol for safe
custody. A second priest soon joined us, and the two together took
down two old brass trumpets, like the Chinese bagpipes, to give us
some music. These instruments were so dusty inside and out, and
their joints so loose, that no sound of any kind could be produced
from them. The priests puffed and blew as if they would have burst
their boilers, but the rusty old brass would yield no sound.
Among our new acquaintances was a youth of fifteen, called
_Haltsundoriki_, the most active and intelligent of the Mongols we
had met with. He was much interested in us and our belongings, and
during our few days' stay at this place, he came regularly every
morning, and stayed with us till nightfall. He was a most willing
servant to us, collecting argols, lighting our fire, washing our
dishes, taking our ponies to water, and making himself universally
useful. As our visitors increased in numbers, they crowded our tent
inconveniently, especially at meal-times, for they had a nasty habit
of fingering everything they saw. _Haltsundoriki_ was therefore
installed as master of the ceremonies, and vigorously did he
exercise his authority over young and old. It was quite understood
that he might bore us as much as he liked himself, but he was not to
permit any one else to do it. He used the utmost freedom with all
his countrymen who came in his way, riding their horses or camels
without asking leave, and levying contributions on all and sundry
in the shape of tobacco, cheese, or anything they might happen to
possess. He furnished us with amusement by chaffing and playing
practical jokes on his friends, without regard to age or sex. His
wit was in a great measure lost on us, but we made great progress
in the Mongol language under his tuition. Although not a lama, he
was educated, and could read and write both Mongol and Tangut.
He was probably the son of some small chieftain who lived in the
neighbourhood, and had had an opportunity of seeing better society
than the cowherds.
On intimating that we were prepared to do a little horse-dealing, we
at once set in motion several Mongols on their ponies. Armed with
a long light pole, with a large loop at the end of it, they ride
at the drove, and singling out the one they want, they generally
manage to throw the loop over his head without much difficulty. An
old hand, that has been hunted for a good many years, will sometimes
lead them a chase of an hour or two; for though the pony that is
ridden is always the fleetest, the hunted one doubles and dodges his
pursuer in every possible way. My Chan-kia-kow pony was so done up
as to be useless, and I exchanged him for a big, strong beast, with
doubtful feet, but the most likely I could find.
We were much pestered for biscuit, liquor, and empty bottles. It
was useless to tell our persecutors that we were on a long journey,
and required all our supplies. They have no consideration for
travellers, and would eat you up to the last morsel of food you
possessed. We found it a good plan to give them porter when they
asked for drink. The wry faces it produced were most comical, and
they never asked for more. As for the empty bottles, we reserved
them to requite any little services that were performed for us, and
to pay for milk. One old hag, a she-lama, came begging for drink,
and would not be denied. Her arguments were after this sort:--"You
are a lama, and I am a lama, and we are brethren, and our hearts
are in unison; therefore it is right that you should give me this
bottle of wine." The only reply to such an appeal would be:--"True,
I am a lama, and you are a lama, &c., but as the bottle is in my
possession, it is right it should remain so." The old woman would
still go rummaging about the tent, and it would have been rude to
turn her out _vi et armis_. At length she came across a bottle
uncorked, and pouring a little of its contents into the palm of her
hand, she licked it up with her tongue. The effect was remarkable,
her features were screwed up in hideous contortions, she went out of
the tent spitting, and did not ask for any more drink. The bottle
proved to contain spirits of wine which we used for boiling coffee.
The first theft we were conscious of was perpetrated during our stay
at Tsagan-tuguruk. Hitherto we had relied implicitly on the honesty
of the Mongols, leaving all our small things lying about at the
mercy of our numerous visitors. But now a few nick-nacks that our
lama had asked me to take charge of for him, were stolen out of my
cart during the night. We were very angry at this, and proclaimed
aloud that we would allow no Mongol to come near our tent till the
thief was discovered, and the property restored. It was impossible,
however, to stem the tide; and it seemed hard, moreover, to punish
the whole tribe for the misdeed of one who might have no connection
with the neighbourhood. We deemed it quite fair, however, to stop
their biscuit and brandy. On the return of the lama, we reported
the theft, but he received the news with perfect equanimity. In the
evening he got two other lamas to perform the prescribed incantation
for the purpose of discovering the thief. They performed their task
in a Mongol yourt with bell, book, and candle (literally, as regards
the bell and the book), reciting many yards of lama prayers, while
they told their beads. Our lama had asked us for some wine for the
ceremony. This was poured into three small brass cups which stood on
the table (the family box, or chest of drawers) during the ceremony.
It was too tedious to see it out, but our lama informed us next
morning that the incantation had been successful (of course)--that
they had discovered who the thief was, but as to catching him and
recovering the property, that seemed as far off as ever.
On the second day of our halt the Kitat arrived, in company with a
friend, both on camels, and with my pony, "Dolonor." He had managed
to lose his own camel in the chase, and had come up to us on one
borrowed from his companion. The lama gave him a cold reception,
lamenting bitterly over the loss of his camel. As to the pony, he
came full of spirits, but being rather poor when he ran away, the
six days' hard hunting in the desert had not improved his condition,
and I wished they had left him where he was.
We were two days kicking our heels about in the utmost impatience
before our lama deigned to make his appearance with the new camels.
As soon as he came, Tellig started on an expedition to see his
friends, who also lived some six or eight miles off, and did not
return till the next day. The lama, instead of preparing for the
journey, went dilly-dallying about, drinking tea and gossiping with
all the old women in the country, which we considered a wanton waste
of _our_ time, and we exhibited the feelings natural to us under
such circumstances. The lama tried every device to keep us till the
10th, but we were desperate, and forced them to commence packing
late at night, which was no easy matter in the dark, with unwilling
workmen. Tellig was civil and good-natured. The Kitat showed the
cloven foot so disagreeably as to provoke some rough treatment,
which led to his leaving our service. I suspect this had already
been arranged, for a substitute was found at a moment's notice. The
new camels not having been tried in harness, were first put into
the empty carts, and carefully led about for some time, before they
could be depended on for steadiness. All this occupied a good many
hours in a very cold night, and it was midnight before we got away
from Tsagan-tuguruk. Two friends of the lama accompanied us on our
first stage, which was only a few miles, for we were halted before
daylight. The lama's business matters had not been quite settled,
and he had a few more last words with his two friends. The packing,
so hurriedly done in the dark, had all to be done over again.
While these little matters were being arranged, we had time to take
stock of our new establishment. The camels were certainly fat and
fresh, humps full and erect, backs whole, with only the marks of
old scars. The camel department could not be in a better state than
it was. Kitat's substitute turned out to be a lama, a good-natured
looking fellow, whom we afterwards discovered to be well-meaning
but stupid. He could speak a few words of Chinese, and we therefore
christened him, in contradistinction to our chief of the staff,
who was _the_ lama _par excellence_, the "Kitat lama." We further
observed that _the_ lama had somehow got rid of his pony, and now
rode a camel, which looked ominous for the success or even the
preservation of our equestrian stock; for the lama hated camels, and
never rode one himself when he could help it.