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retinue. Business with China is carried on viâ Schönn mu, said to be four days' riding to the south (and within the Wall). In spite of its proximity to China we bad the greatest difficulty in finding any one who spoke Chinese. Leaving the Yamen we struck south-west, and three hours later reached the lama temple of Kandshur with a population of fifty. Close by is a small stream abounding in gecse, fish-hawks, and mandarin duck. The ground all the way was heavy with alkaline salt, which often gave to the country the deceptive appearance of a lake. We slept the night at the Mongol farm of Iloloi, one and a-half hours beyond Kandshur; here I was attacked, when on foot, by five fierce dogs, which got between me and the caravan, and was forced to shoot one in order to save my life.
May 6.--The dust and the bitterly cold wind ceased and were succeeded by great heat. The land became soft and good in places with a small amount of water; it would seem therefore, capable of supporting a much larger population. A group of six trees in a hollow show that trees will grow if given the opportunity.
During the morning we passed the Gurdun temple with a population of only six lamas. Just before reaching the temple a small stream is crossed in a depression, the water winding its way through red sands to join the Ulan Muran. The temple stands among some fine trees. Two hours and a-halt later we reached the residence of the Prince of Djussak which is situated on a slight eminence and is visible from some distance. The residence resembles those of the other Princes. The Prince had not up to then been to the Wataishan but was expected to go shortly to see the Dalai Lama. We halted for the night at the tribal temple, two hours west of the Princely residence, There are some hundred lamas there, of whom some are said to belong to the monasteries of Wutaishan.
May 7.--We went in a south-westerly direction keeping a conspicuous obo and white temple below it to our right and ascended a ridge on the top of which among some trees we passed the ruins of a temple, attacked, looted, and burnt by robbers forty years ago. To our left lay the small lake of Baga noor. The country is rough and wholly uncultivated even round the few Mongol cabins scattered about; sandy soil everywhere and at times all vegetation ceases and huge sand hillocks are passed among or over which the track winds. Water can be found at intervals, We stopped for the night close to the small lake of Chagan noor; the country is white with saline efflorescence. During the morning we passed two temples, those of Onkar and Togoru, both well furnished as regards shrines, scrolls, and temple musical instruments. En route we passed a Chinese itinerant merchant, the first caravan we have met in the Ordos. He had come from Wutaishan and was travelling slowly in a south-westerly direction selling pots, pans, beads, trinkets, tobacco, and general supplies to the Mongols. He had eight camels and as many ponies.
At Chagan noor we slept at the house of a Chinaman, a native of Shensi, who has been here six years and is employed in making salt bricks. These he sends by camel to Kweibuacheng and Peking. His business arose out of the Boxer troubles. For the damage wrought to the Belgian Mission stations in 1900, the Princes of Djassak, Wushin, and Ottok were ordered by the Central Government to pay 250,000 taels as indemnity; the Princes were to pay 70,000, 80,000 and 100,000 taels respectively. They could only raise 190,000 taels altogether; the Shensi merchants came to their assistance and lent the remaining 60,000 taels receiving in return this salt concession for twenty-seven years. They then placed this man in charge of the work. There seems to have been some trouble with the Mongols when he first arrived which necessitated the presence of soldiers, but all ill-feeling is said to have died away. The salt is taken in the winter time when the lake is frozen, the layer of salt and dust being taken from the top, boiled and the pure salt obtained. Nine huge pans are used, each pan being able to turn out five bricks a day. (See Industries.)
May 8.--We left in a westerly direction across a plain covered with brushwood, some of the ground being so marshy that the camels sank deep into it and could not rise until their loads had been removed, Vast stretches of saline efflorescence at times. In the afternoon the ground began to rise steadily and the sands recommenced. We completely lost our way looking for the residence of the Prince of Washin and had the utmost difficulty in finding a night's shelter. Eventually a very poor yourt called Shi wa was discovered in a coppice. We had great difficulty here in getting a reply to our questions as to distances. What can the traveller make of the answer, "Ride pony twice run"? The distance was short, a morning's ride, but can the stranger guess that?
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May 9-After four hours' marching to the west we reached the Wushin tribal temple standing among some magnificent trees. The number of lamas cannot be less
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than 400 here. They were exceedingly unfriendly and almost troublesome. We found we had come out of our way again but the lamas refused to show us the right road to the Prince's residence and professed ignorance of what we wanted. They hustled us in short from the temple. We subsequently learnt that the Prince was actually on a visit to the temple and was living in one of the buildings.
Retracing our steps somewhat we found ourselves on the road to Yulinfu, and turned south over hills resembling a Surrey heath. In the late evening we sighted a well-to-do farm to our left called Ba la be-be su; here we halted and were received with the utmost friendliness. We found that we had been quite close last night to the old residence (Chiu se fu) of the Washin Prince, but that His Highness has recently moved southwards.
May 10.-Leaving early, we rejoined the high road and kept southward. Occasional waterholes by the roadside show that water is obtained by caravans by digging, but that it is scarce. Travelling slowly through the loose sand we ascended to a conspicuous obo on the top of a ridge, and here turned off from the track towards the south-west and came through a narrow marshy strip to the residence of the Wushin Prince after an eight hours' march. The buildings stand on open ground, close to, and slightly above, an old lake bed, a portion of which is still marshy. The buildings, courtyard, and temple, are surrounded by a low brick wall. The population only amounted to three souls, one of whom was an aged lama, another the Prince's nephew, and the third a distant relative. The Prince is boycotted by his subjects because he has surrendered the land of the tribe to the Chinese Government; they refuse to do any work for His Highness, and the yamên has had to be closed. In spite of the absence of the Prince at the tribal temple (he is said to be supervising some rebuilding there) we pitched our tents in the courtyard, much to the annoyance of His Highness's pet monkey which made itself a great nuisance.
Both yesterday and to-day we passed great quantities of carcases and bones of horses, sheep and cattle lying about. It appears there has been a plague and great mortality amongst the beasts in the districts. The Mongols know of no remedy, and do nothing to check such a plague; the animals just die and the plague stops when it likes.
May 11.-The present given not being considered sufficient, the Prince's nephew tried to be disagreeable and asked for our passports. As the camels were already loaded, and in view of the real cause of the request, I did not consider it necessary to satisfy a belated curiosity. Leaving in a south-westerly direction, we came in the afternoon into a well-defined road leading to Ninghsiafu. The country was covered with hills of driftsand and a great quantity of brushwood. No water was visible, though this could doubtless be obtained by digging; the track was unusually difficult owing to the sand. Antelope were sighted twice during the day; they had also been seen yesterday close to the Princely residence. We had great difficulty in finding water in the evening, but after a long search discovered a brackish pool hidden away among the hills to our left.
May 12. The heat during the day is already very great and uncomfortable unless a breeze blows; the brushwood is rapidly putting ou green, and the wild apricot trees in blossom; the wild flowers, such as crocuses, irises, dandelions, and violets, are also coming out. The track to the south-west is some 18 feet wide and unmistakable. It is entirely covered with driftsand, so that travelling is very slow. In the early afternoon we left the sandy hillocks and came on to a wide plain, at the end of which we sighted the Temple of Haliutai on a slight eminence, beyond which the ground slopes down again at once to cross the small stream of the Wutingho which flows south-east to the Hoangho. The temple contains over 300 lamas; we had been warned against them as being unfriendly, but we did not stay long enough for them to show any dislike. The temple is said to be in the happy position of belonging neither to the Chinese Government nor to any of the Princes--to be wholly independent in fact with a small amount of land round it. I do not imagine, however, that this so-called independence is of any account. Crossing the Wutingho we turned off, 25 minutes later, to two Mongol cabins to the left, where we stayed the night. The name of the cabins is also Haliutai.
May 13-After three hours marching we passed Shine Sume "New Temple," a regular village of huts round the temple housing some 150 lamas. There are some fine trees round the buildings. Two hours and a half later we came to the foot of a steep ridge, on the top of which we kept for a couple of hours, descending them to cross the Naringol, a stream some 30 feet wide and several inches in depth. It winds over marshy ground to the south and is a home for the Mandarin duck, We stayed the night at a
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