The habit of making pilgrimages is most widespread. The smaller pilgrimage is to Ourga, where there is one of the 'living Buddhas,' and to that town, where we stayed for a couple of days, I was informed that no less than 200,000 pilgrims come yearly. That represents nearly ten per cent. of the population of all Mongolia. The greater pilgrimage is to Wu T'ai Shan, a mountain situated in the province of Shansi in China. At Wu T'ai there are many shrines, and many thousands of lamas, and to it there comes, as offerings, a large part of all the money that the Mongols get by trading their wool, their ponies, and their salt. From Wu T'ai numerous parties of lamas travel throughout Mongolia on collecting expeditions, whence they return not merely with money, which is scarce, but with ponies, sheep, wool, tea, and anything else that can be had. Nay, so far do the Mongols carry their devotion, that, while alive, they will frequently surrender the whole of their property to some shrine of Buddha, receiving in exchange the assurance of support for the rest of their lives. It may be added, as an instance of the fact that the Mongols, however simple, have some shrewdness of their own, that the persons who thus surrender their property are seldom the very wealthiest Mongols ; still, the priests are glad to accept such surrender, for the maintenance of a Mongol does not cost very much to a monastery, and that kind of

thing strengthens the priestly influence with the people.

The chief characteristic of the Mongols in their trading relations is simplicity and honesty of character. In their dealings, which are chiefly with the Chinese, they almost invariably get the worst of the bargain; and having sold their wool and other products, the luxuries and ornaments that they receive in exchange are usually productive of a huge profit to the Chinese merchant.

The relations of Mongolia with China are simple. The Chinese Government appoints to live at Ourga a Manchu governor, who is supposed to govern in consultation with a Mongolian prince. The credentials to the lesser headmen are issued by China through the Manchu governor; beyond that China interferes little. She collects no taxes, and she subsidizes the Mongol headmen for various services, including the maintenance of the post route and the carrying of the mails. These subsidies are a material part of the revenue of the chief Mongols, and must represent some little drain upon the Peking exchequer. Some of the Mongol princes and headmen also are called to Peking at intervals to pay their respects to the authorities there, and to give tribute; but the presents which they bring back with them are in excess of the value of the tribute that they have carried. The influence of China in Mongolia, therefore, is that

of a nominal suzerainty, effectually maintained for technical purposes, but involving no interference with the Mongols, and incurring some little expense to the sovereign power.

The relations of Mongolia to Russia are theoretically non-existent. Nevertheless, the Mongols know of Russia, respect Russia, and fear Russia. China and Russia are the only two powers of which they know, and they understand that the latter is a very strong and effective power; indeed, the Russian Consul-General at Ourga, and a few Russian shopkeepers there are the only Europeans with whom the Mongols come into contact. The respect for Russia is no doubt enhanced by the fact that across the Siberian border of Mongolia there is a large Buriat population, meaning thereby that section of the Mongol tribe which has settled in Siberia, and is under Russian domination. These Buriats occupy a richer country, have attained more wealth, and are, as one might put it, more civilized than the Mongols proper, and their intercourse with Mongolia does not fail to teach the Mongols that, if the Chinese authority in Mongolia should weaken, the people with whom the Mongols would have to deal would be the Russians.

CHAPTER VIII.

IN THE DESERT.

We spent eighteen days in passing through Mongolia, of which the larger part was in the Desert of Gobi, and I shall ever remember the journey as one of the most pleasant experiences of my life; certainly I shall rate it as yielding the pleasures of travel in the very highest degree.

It was on Thursday, September 1, that we set forth from Kalgan, in the morning, to traverse the first stage of our Mongolian journey. Kalgan, as already stated, is the last outpost of China proper, near the Mongolian frontier. Immediately beyond Kalgan, at a height of about 5,000 feet, is the original Great Wall-more loosely built than the inner Great Wall, with which tourists are familiar. Beyond that wall are the rolling grass plains of Mongolia, stretching before the eye with no limit save the horizon, a sea of grass dotted at long intervals with Mongol encampments, and enlivened occasionally by the slow passing of a camel caravan, or the swifter progress of the

Mongol riders who carry the Russian overland mail.

Our march for the first day was solely in carts, or, as we chose, on foot, the swifter progress by Mongolian ponies being, as we understood, all arranged for the second day. The distance covered was about thirty-three miles, and at seven o'clock at night we reached our first Mongolian station. There we were received by the Mongol headman -a most courteous and amiable gentleman-who inspected our passports and produced a letter of advice informing him of our coming, and then told us that although he had been fully advised about us, yet, in the absence of one particular document, from the Kalgan Yamen, or magistracy, he could not give us horses to proceed.

All this, it may be explained, was said in the Mongol tongue, and had to be translated to us by our Chinese servant. Consequently the talk proceeded slowly and with much confusion; and it was dark, and we had been afoot since daylight, and we were hungry! But the Mongol headman was exceedingly civil, and after a little we found ourselves comfortably bestowed, not in the Mongol tents, but in handsomely furnished apartments in his very handsome private house, for this was a wealthy Mongolian of family and position.

By nine o'clock we were at dinner, with the consoling prospect that everything that could be done