ew
disciples to Peking, and bring back the students and the members who have
completed their period. From Kiaktha to Peking the Russians travel at
the expense of the Chinese government, and are escorted from station to
station by Tartar troops.

M. Timkouski, who in 1820 had charge of the Russian caravan to Peking,
tells us, in his account of the journey, that he could never make out why
the Chinese guides led him by a different route from that which the
preceding ambassadors had pursued. The Tartars explained the matter to
us. They said it was a political precaution of the Chinese government,
who conceived that, being taken by all sorts of roundabout paths and
no-paths, the Russians might be kept from a knowledge of the regular
route;--an immensely imbecile precaution, since the Autocrat of all the
Russians would not have the slightest difficulty in leading his armies to
Peking, should he ever take a fancy to go and beard the Son of Heaven in
his celestial seat.

This road to Kiaktha, which we thus came upon unexpectedly amid the
deserts of Tartary, created a deep emotion in our hearts: "Here," said we
to each other, "here is a road which leads to Europe!" Our native land
presented itself before our imagination, and we spontaneously entered
upon the road, which connected us with our beloved France. The
conversation that rose to our lips from our hearts was so pleasing, that
we insensibly advanced. The sight of some Mongol tents, on an adjacent
eminence, recalled us to a sense of our position, and at the same moment
a loud cry came from a Tartar whom we saw gesticulating in front of the
tents. Not understanding the cry to be addressed to us, we turned, and
were proceeding on our route, whet the Tartar, jumping on his horse,
galloped after us; upon reaching us, he alighted and knelt before us:
"Holy sirs," said he, raising his hands before Heaven, "have pity upon
me, and save my mother from death. I know your power is infinite: come
and preserve my mother by your prayers." The parable of the good
Samaritan came before us, and we felt that charity forbade us to pass on
without doing all we could in the matter. We therefore turned once more,
in order to encamp near the Tartars.

While Samdadchiemba arranged our tent, we went, without loss of time, to
tend the sick woman, whom we found in a very deplorable state.
"Inhabitants of the desert," said we to her friends, "we know not the use
of simples, we are unacqu