Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 149 (Color Image)

0149	Among the Celestials : vol.1

CHAP. vi.] A DREARY WASTE. I2I

spect must be shown to me. Then he would

pretend to be very obsequious, and bow and

kow-tow in the most servile manner. It was

hard to know whether to be angry with him

or to laugh ; he was always so very comical.

There would be a twinkle in his eye the whole

time, and now and then, while all this panto-

mime was going on, he used to say to me in

English (his English), " I think master belong

big gentleman ; no belong small man." H e

thought I was a big gentleman quite off his

head, though, to go wandering about in such

out-of-the-way places, instead of staying com-

fortably at home ; and he used to say, " I

think master got big heart ; Chinese mandarin

no do this."

We were now gradually approaching the

heart of the Gobi, and the aspect of the

country became more and more barren ; the

streams disappeared, and water could only be

obtained from the rough wells or water-holes

dug by former caravans. No grass could be

seen, and in its place the country was covered

with dry and stunted plants, burnt brown by

the sun by day and nipped by the frost by

night. Not a sound would be heard, and

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