162
94
years Japanese trade would be in a bad state, as people would have found out the worthlessness of their goods. I do not think that with so large a market such a result will occur for a very long time.
The shops are little more than mud huts. The merchants pay no house-tax, and, indeed, no tax at all, except li-kin. Houses are rented from Mongols or Chinese, No new ones are ever built, as the colony does not grow, and I saw many shops shuttered up and empty, and was told that a Chinaman came here for a few years, and either made a fortune in that time or had to return ruined. It was a question of luck, according to the state of trade.
While there was an air of listlessness in the streets, opinions differed as to the present state of trading, some saying that it was bad, others that it was fairly good. All agreed, however, that caravans were rarities. The trade seemed to be nearly one of barter, and there is little silver in the town. Tea bricks (value 45 cents) are the chief currency, while another and more peculiar "coin" is a long band of various coloured stuff and of different low values. Small worthless silk scarves, such as the lamas
give as presents, are also currency.
August 27-There is no Government bank at Kobdo. During the morning I dropped into the police station, three-quarters of the way down the west side of the street, the spot being indicated by two gorgeous flags. Finding no one there, I inquired of a passer-by where all the soldiers had gone to. He said there were thirty police stationed here, but all had gone to lunch-they would not be back till the evening. Close to the gate was a rack of eight rusty old hammer-guns, which looked as if they had come out of the ark, and as if they had got wet in the deluge and had never been cleaned since, also eight wooden lances 10 feet long, with rusty spear heads at the end. It was useless to wait for the return of the police, so I crossed the road to the watchman's station which was indicated by cangues and scrolls which, as if in invitation of the decalogue preached, "Do not steal," "Do not gamble,”
"Do not brawl." Here I took some time to wake up the only occupaut, which feat accomplished, he told me that during the day only one watchman was stationed here and he was the man, His pay, he said, was 90 c. a month but he admitted to making more (I presume shopkeepers pay a kind of insurance sum against being robbed). At night he said six men were stationed there. Their weapons and implements were a stout stick, a lantern and a gong to warn the thieves they were on the alert. The men call themselves soldiers and are renewed every five years from Hsuanhuafu. Walking into the kitchen on my way out I found it to be also the police cell and one prisoner in it. His story was that a Mongol man had owed him money and that on going for this money the Mongol man had given him an ox instead. Returning to Kobdo with the ox he had been followed by the Mongol who accused him of stealing it. He had only been in the cell one day and I asked him how long he was going to stay; he replied that he did not know, but probably till the matter had been amicably arranged with the owners of the ox and that this was a matter of four days as the Mongol lived two days away. A policeman had been sent to fetch him but there would probably be delays. The prisoner seemed to be unnecessarily dejected I thought, his oùly inconvenience being a light chain fastened round his neck and tied loosely to the kang stool which, being quite small and portable could be moved at will. The weather was cool and the kitchen nicely warm, his pipe lay by his side, he could sit or sleep as he liked and his shop assistant could bring him his food and drink so he did not seem so badly off. The fortress portion of the colony would probably be impregnable to all attacks from such enemies as Mahommedans. It would, however, be defenceless against modern arms as it is entirely commanded by surrounding hills, I visited the fortress in the afternoon with the intention of seeing how many soldiers there were, not that there are any barracks, as I knew, the inside of the fortress being nominally supposed to be the barracks in reality every man living at home but because I thought to hit more easily on a soldier there.
It was, however, all in vain. No one in the numerous houses within the fort seemed to be a soldier.
The walls are some 250 yards; there is a gate on every side (except the north) of the usual Chinese (double) pattern. An irregularly shaped and shallow dry moat zurrounded the fortress: low bridges of mud and wood leading to each gate. The walls are some 15 feet high and are of hard mud. They are remarkably solid and are hattlemented. They completely conceal the low buildings within. A grove of fine trees along the west wall on the inside shelters the Amban's yamên from the west. offices of the Army Board are situated next to the Amban's yamên.
The
A narrow ditch with a certain amount of water intersects the fortress enclosure and there are other ditches.
95
Not being able to get any information I walked into the Army Board, a civilian institution, and learnt as follows:-The pay for the upkeep of the Kobdo garrison amounts to 30,000 taels a-year (4,5001.) and comes from Shansi through Kweihuacheng. There are 200 soldiers (Chinese) and I understood 300 Mongol soldiers every one living at home. Pay is at the rate of 90 c. per man per month. He has to find his own food. There is a store of rifles in the War Office but no artillery. If any one is sick a doctor lives up the street and it is the invalid's own affair to consult him. The Mongols are styled cavalry. There is a parade twice a year, no drill and no rifle practice. On paper the garrison is probably very much larger hence the sum given per annum but what probably happens is that one man draws the pay of ten men.
On my way back to the temple I asked at the police station what they would do if the town were again attacked by the Mahommedans: The reply was prompt, "send for the Mongol soldiers," a devolution of responsibility which would end in Kobdo sharing a similar fate as in 1872 when all outside the fortress was looted and burned by the Mahommedans for the Mongols would, as then, have packed their tents and removed their beasts to the mountains on the approach of the enemy.
The Russians are not very popular in Kobdo. They drink too much and make use of Mongol women. They seem to act on the "Heads I win, tails you lose" principle as if they do not get rich they decamp owing a lot of money to the Chinese. Every year a number of Russian youths come to Kobdo for a few months merely for the sake of learning Mongol.
The Russian merchants send their telegrams and postal maiter to Kissamoto in Russian territory beyond Suok. Suok is nine stages to the north-west of Kobdo.
August 28.--Six large German guns with their ammunition left for Sharasumé across the Altaishau to-day. They are being convoyed by two small officers, two secretaries and their retinue. There are also 400 rifles, eight cases of ammunition and 200 shells for each gun. There are 100 cases in all. All bear German marks. The guns are to be put together by an officer at Sharasumé. Thirty Hassacks were sent down from Sharasumé to meet the cases and assist in convoying them across the mountains.
The departure of these guns delayed my own movements, for they required all the transport at the disposal of the Government, and I had unfortunately found it impossible to procure any animals of my own.
The Government track across the centre of the Altaishan range has only been in existence as such for a few years. It is only open four months in the year, the passes being rendered impassable by snow during the remaining eight. Any travellers wishing to proceed therefore in the winter from Kobdo to Altaishan settlement must journey southwards towards Manas and then strike westwards; such a journey takes a full month to accomplish as against twelve days by the summer route.
During the day some Russian merchants wandered round the temple to inspect me and my luggage. In the afternoon I visited the leading Russian merchant, with a letter of introduction from the Consul at Uliassutai. In spite of this he raised so many difficulties regarding the transmission of a home letter alleging that it might contain political matter that I sent the letter, under cover of another, back to the Consul at Uliassutai, for transmission to Europe viâ Urga. The merchant is a Biisk man and prosperous. He sends an enormous amount of wool to Biisk after it has been washed. He told me that the reason furs are so bad here is that the best are sent direct to Kalgan or Kweihuacheng. He said there were some Russian merchants at Ulankom. He did not know how many. Ulankom is six days distant to the north.
Later in the day the Amban sent a small officer with the message that he had orders to accompany me to Altaishan settlement. I was grateful for this for the officer was as proficient in the Hassack language as in Mongol and Chinese. He brought my pass for the road made out in Mongol and Hassack (not Chinese). He said we were only just in time to cross the mountains, for in another ten days the passes would all be blocked by snow and the road closed. He thought that in any case we should find the journey a difficult one,
thus confirming all the remarks of our Urga and Uliassutai acquaintances
to the same effect. The latter, indeed, had expressed the greatest surprise that we were even contemplating making the passage of the Altais at this point.
It was very pleasant to spend a quiet day sauntering under the fine trees by the side of the small irrigation canals, and it was with no little awe that we looked at the mighty range already heavily dipped in snow, the struggle over which was to begin on
the morrow.
Being thoroughly dishearted and disappointed by the inability to travel in the way I wished, and as had been intended I again had serious thoughts of abandoning the
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.