every one was curious to
see how, by gently pulling the cord attached to the peg in its nose, our
Lama could make the animal obey him, and kneel at his pleasure. Then,
again, it was an interesting thing for the Chinese to watch our Lama
packing on the camels' backs the baggage of the two missionary
travellers. When the arrangements were completed, we drank a cup of tea,
and proceeded to the chapel; the Christians recited prayers for our safe
journey; we received their farewell, interrupted with tears, and
proceeded on our way. Samdadchiemba,

[Picture: The Travellers setting out on their journey]

our Lama cameleer, gravely mounted on a black, stunted, meagre mule,
opened the march, leading two camels laden with our baggage; then came
the two missionaries, MM. Gabet and Huc, the former mounted on a tall
camel, the latter on a white horse.

Upon our departure we were resolved to lay aside our accustomed usages,
and to become regular Tartars. Yet we did not at the outset, and all at
once, become exempt from the Chinese system. Besides that, for the first
mile or two of our journey, we were escorted by our Chinese Christians,
some on foot, and some on horseback; our first stage was to be an inn
kept by the Grand Catechist of the Contiguous Defiles.

The progress of our little caravan was not at first wholly successful.
We were quite novices in the art of saddling and girdling camels, so that
every five minutes we had to halt, either to rearrange some cord or piece
of wood that hurt and irritated the camels, or to consolidate upon their
backs, as well as we could, the ill-packed baggage that threatened, ever
and anon, to fall to the ground. We advanced, indeed, despite all these
delays, but still very slowly. After journeying about thirty-five lis,
{16} we quitted the cultivated district and entered upon the Land of
Grass. There we got on much better; the camels were more at their ease
in the desert, and their pace became more rapid.

We ascended a high mountain, where the camels evinced a decided tendency
to compensate themselves for their trouble, by browzing, on either side,
upon the tender stems of the elder tree or the green leaves of the wild
rose. The shouts we were obliged to keep up, in order to urge forward
the indolent beasts, alarmed infinite foxes, who issued from their holes
and rushed off in all directions. On attaining the summit of the rugged
hill we saw in the hollow beneath the Ch