warm
in winter and very cool in summer; the want of sufficient air, however,
sometimes makes a sojourn in them dangerous to the health. Those
dwellings were no novelty to us, for they abound in our mission of
Si-Wan. However, we had never seen any so well constructed as these of
the Ortous.

We took possession of one of those subterranean abodes, and commenced
proceedings by making a large fire in the furnaces, with plentiful
bundles of hemp-stems, which we found in one of the caves. Never, on our
journey, had we at our disposal such excellent fuel. Our clothes dried
very soon, and we were so happy at being in this fine hotel of
Providence, that we spent the greater part of the night enjoying the
delightful sensation of warmth, while Samdadchiemba was never tired of
broiling little cakes in mutton fat. It was altogether quite a festival
with us, and our flour felt somewhat the effects of it.

The animals were not less happy than we. We found for them stables out
in the mountain, and, which was better still, excellent forage. One cave
was filled with millet stems and oat-straw. But for this horrible storm,
which had nearly killed us, our animals would never have got so grand a
treat. After having for a long time enjoyed the poetry of our miraculous
position, we yielded to the necessity of taking repose, and laid down
upon a well-warmed kang, which made us forget the terrible cold we had
endured during the tempest.

Next morning, while Samdadchiemba was using the rest of the hemp stems,
and drying our baggage, we went out for a nearer inspection of these
numerous subterrenes. We had scarcely gone ten steps, when we beheld, to
our great astonishment, whirls of smoke issuing from the door and windows
of a cave adjoining our own. As we fancied we were alone in the desert,
the sight of this smoke excited a surprise, mingled with fear. We
directed our steps to the opening of the cavern, and, on reaching the
threshold of the door, perceived within a large fire of hemp stems, whose
undulating flame reached the ceiling, so that the place looked like an
oven. On further investigation we observed a human form moving amidst
the thick smoke; we soon heard the Tartar salute, Mendou! uttered by a
sonorous voice; "Come and sit beside this fire." We did not like to
advance. This cave of Cacus, that loud voice, presented to our minds
something phantastic. Finding that we remained silent and motionless,
the inhabitant of