by obliging Chinese, all with officers' buttons on their red-fringed headgear. An elderly man with two gold stripes on his sleeve and the button of a lower officer took a flag from a stand in the pagoda, dropped on his knee, raising the flag above his shoulder in front of the Tutung and strode into the middle of the ground, where a dozen drummers and musicians had been placed. At a signal with the flag and a blast of music the line broke and the detachment started moving in column of half-companies (46 men each) with a theatrical and very slow step. It marched a couple of times approximately in a square round the band, and the column then drew up along the wall opposite the pagoda. At a signal from the band the line was reformed and at another signal the men shouldered arms.
The parade was over and was to be followed by target shooting. The main thing seemed to be to put up a picturesque, large tent with red armchairs, tea etc. When this was done, the shooting began. 3o men fired 120 shots at a range of 200 paces at a round target, about i m in diameter. There were not more than 20 hits, possibly owing to the bad condition of their old rifles. The Tutung assured me that he always scored 300 hits in 500 shots. The men looked smaller than the Manchurians I had seen at Kucheng. Their carriage left a good deal to be desired, but they formed line fairly well; they lifted their feet absurdly high and slowly in marching; their discipline was good — absolute silence in the ranks. The officers marched more or less where they liked. The rifles were muzzleloaders with cocks, uniforms black. They carried a large apron-shaped pocket in front for powder and bullets.
After the drill I photographed the Tutung and 2 elderly Sielings ( = galdai?) in his yamen. He invited them to sit in his room. — The Tutung was 49 and seemed active and pleasant. Judging by his elegant manners, fine clothes and various pieces of furniture in the yamen, considered valuable by the Chinese, he must have belonged to a wealthy and spoilt family.
There are said to be 6,000 people in the fortress (including women and children), or according to another statement i,600 tja. Only 2,000 are in the pay of the Bogdykhan.
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