ith Djam
Bolon.

"The God" sorrowfully mourned over the demoralized and sumptuous life
led by the Lamas which decreased rapidly the number of fortune tellers
and clairvoyants among their ranks, saying of it:

"If the Jahantsi and Narabanchi monasteries had not preserved their
strict regime and rules, Ta Kure would have been left without prophets
and fortune tellers. Barun Abaga Nar, Dorchiul-Jurdok and the other holy
Lamas who had the power of seeing that which is hidden from the sight of
the common people have gone with the blessing of the gods."

This class of Lamas is a very important one, because every important
personage visiting the monasteries at Urga is shown to the Lama Tzuren
or fortune teller without the knowledge of the visitor for the study of
his destiny and fate, which are then communicated to the Bogdo Hutuktu,
so that with these facts in his possession the Bogdo knows in what way
to treat his guest and what policy to follow toward him. The Tzurens are
mostly old men, skinny, exhausted and severe ascetics. But I have met
some who were young, almost boys. They were the Hubilgan, "incarnate
gods," the future Hutuktus and Gheghens of the various Mongolian
monasteries.

The second class is the doctors or "Ta Lama." They observe the actions
of plants and certain products from animals upon people, preserve
Tibetan medicines and cures, and study anatomy very carefully but
without making use of vivisection and the scalpel. They are skilful
bone setters, masseurs and great connoisseurs of hypnotism and animal
magnetism.

The third class is the highest rank of doctors, consisting chiefly of
Tibetans and Kalmucks--poisoners. They may be said to be "doctors of
political medicine." They live by themselves, apart from any associates,
and are the great silent weapon in the hands of the Living Buddha. I
was informed that a large portion of them are dumb. I saw one such
doctor,--the very person who poisoned the Chinese physician sent by the
Chinese Emperor from Peking to "liquidate" the Living Buddha,--a small
white old fellow with a deeply wrinkled face, a curl of white hairs on
his chin and with vivacious eyes that were ever shifting inquiringly
about him. Whenever he comes to a monastery, the local "god" ceases to
eat and drink in fear of the activities of this Mongolian Locusta. But
even this cannot save the condemned, for a poisoned cap or shirt or
boots, or a rosary, a bridle, books or religious articles soak