国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

elegant, elastic, bounding flight. Inquisitively and roguishly they would regard us for a moment and then rush over the road, swift and light as cloud-shadows, sometimes even passing between the two cars, though we were driving close enough together.

SUNIT WANG's RESIDENCE

By half-past four we had reached Wangin Ordu or the residence of BARUN SUNIT WANG. His palace and his private temples and shrines were all erected in the Chinese style. We did not meet Prince TEH' himself, as he was away on a journey to Mukden in the numerous following of the TASHI LAMA. This powerful ecclesiarch had since the summer been making a circuit of state in Inner Mongolia and Manchuria.

In July and the beginning of August 1929 he had spent a month at the headquarters of BARUN SUNIT WANG. The palace had been smartened up and repainted, but the prince himself had to be satisfied with a more modest lodging. Ten thousand pilgrims had pitched their yurts and tents about the palace. The great well might be used by none but the TASHI LAMA; other mortals must get water as best they could. A festival was held in honour of the Grand Lama. He watched the racing from a separate tent. The place where the wrestling competitions were to be held was 30o meters away, and along this the TASHI LAMA walked on outspread lengths of yellow cloth, so as not to soil his boots with the dust of the steppe.

BARUN SUNIT WANG'S army reckoned a thousand soldiers, while DURBFT WANG had only three hundred. He owned three motor-cars and lived quite sumptuously. The taxes he imposed on his subjects were therefore heavy. At the time of our visit there were two dowager queens, one of whom was the prince's mother. His father had had several wives. His own queen had quite recently given birth to a child, and was therefore not permitted to receive any outsiders for a period of at least a year. She had already lost four children, and must now use every care to protect the new-born heir against all harmful influences from without.

After being received by the dowager queens we resumed our journey at six o'clock, driving eastwards over an excellent road. The steppe was beautiful in the moonlight. After a couple of hours' drive we arrived at J oEL ERIKSSoN'S mission-station Khadain-sume,2 where we spent the night on Swedish ground.

1 Prince TEH or TEH WANG is his Chinese name and title, and it is by these that he is most commonly known among foreigners. His full name is DEMCHOK DONGRUB. As ruler of the West Sunit Mongols he bore the title Barun Sunit Wang. F. B.

2 The missionaries write the name of the station Hatt in Sum. F. B.

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