The heart of a continent : vol.1 / Page 20 (Color Image)

0020	The heart of a continent : vol.1

CHAPTER IV.

PEKING TO KWEI-HWA-CHENG.

PAGE
Arrival of Colonel Bell—Preparations for an overland journey to India—Our
different routes—Fascination of planning a journey—Start from Peking—
My servant—Liu-san—The Great Wall at Kalgan—American medical
mission—Views on opium-smoking—M. Ivanoff—A Chinese ex-naval officer
—Chinese ignorance of geography—Agreements with carters—In the
valley of the Yang-ho—The winds from the Mongolian plateau—Formation
of cart-roads in the loess—Mules—We enter the "Land of Gog and
Magog"—On the Mongolian plain—Yurts—Kindliness of the Mongols—
Partridges—Chinese supplanting Mongols—Rapid changes of temperature
—Arrival at Kwei-hwa-cheng—The China inland mission—Their system and
hardships—How Chinese troops are levied—Mr. Clarke—Kwei-hwa-cheng
—Its diminishing trade—Its temples—Mongol bazaar—Caravan-men—Pre-
parations for crossing the Gobi Desert—Finding an auspicious date—My
equipment ... ... ... ... ... 58

CHAPTER V.

ACROSS THE GOBI DESERT.

My company—The guide—His extraordinary memory for wells—Ma-te-la—We
start—The In-shan Mountains—Mongolian pastures—Encroachments of
Chinese and Russians—Messrs. Collins & Co. of Tientsin—The Mongolian
camel—Warnings of robbers—Liu-san and his revolver—Deer and the
mode of killing them—Mongol temples—Aggressive ravens—Approaching
the Sheitung-ula Mountains—A local tradition—The Ho-lai-liu stream—
Deceptive distances—The heart of the Gobi Desert—Monotonous marches—
Characteristics of the desert—Temperature and winds—Extracts from diary
—Wild ponies—Elm trees—The Galpin Gobi—Hurricane and darkness—
Partridges—The Hurku Hills—Bortson well—On Prjevalsky's track—
A trading caravan—Uses of a Mongol boot—Valuable gifts—Mongol
customs—A dust-storm—Curious sandhills—Their origin—Wind-formed
sand—Mr. Barosakhai—The mountain system—Preparing for attack—A
glass of sherry—Man-chin-tol—A "general hit out"—Slow progress—
Glimpses of snow—Wild camels—Wild mules—The Altai Mountains—
Refractory camels—Ma-te-la bolts home—A strange sunset—Mongol agri-
culture—Ula-Khutun—Origin of sloping gravel plains—Ovis argali—A
glimpse of the Tian-shan—Desert of Zungaria—Ovis poli horns—Difficulties
of Chinese language—A period of depression—A scorching wind—We
enter Turkestan—Its inhabitants—Turki women—We cross the Tian-shan
Mountains—An oasis—Last stage of desert journey—Arrival at Hami ... 78

CHAPTER VI.

THROUGH TURKESTAN TO YARKAND.

Inquiries for Colonel Bell—Bazaar at Hami—A Russian merchant—I hire carts
—A satisfactory arrangement—Start from Hami—A poor inn—Eurh-pu—
The desert again—Tombs of mandarins—A dreary land—A cart as a
bedroom—Chinese soldiers and their ways—"The great English nation"

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Citation Information

OCR Text

National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books