rom its back.
"Brother," said we, "are we not going to journey together to the Lamasery
of Rache-Tchurin?" "No; I must follow the path which you see meandering
towards the north, along those hills. Behind that sand-hill is a trading
place, where, upon festival days, a few Chinese merchants set up their
tents and sell goods. As I want to make a few purchases, I cannot
continue to walk in your shadow." "Can we buy flour at the Chinese
encampment?" "Millet, oatmeal, flour, beef, mutton, tea-bricks,
everything is sold there." Not having been able to purchase provisions
since our departure from Tchagan-Kouren, we considered this a favourable
opportunity for supplying our deficiency in this respect. In order not
to fatigue our beasts of burden with a long circuit across stony hills,
M. Gabet took the flour-sacks upon his camel, separated from the caravan,
and went off at a gallop towards the Chinese post. According to the
indications furnished by the old Lama, he was to meet us again in a
valley at no great distance from the Lamasery.

After travelling for nearly an hour along a rugged road, continually
intersected by pits and quagmires, the Missionary Purveyor reached the
small heath, on which he found a number of Chinese encamped, some of
their tents serving as shops, and the rest as dwellings. The encampment
presented the appearance of a small town full of trade and activity, the
customers being the Lamas of Rache-Tchurin and the Mongol pilgrims. M.
Gabet speedily effected his purchases; and having filled his sacks with
flour, and hung two magnificent sheep's' livers over one of the camel's
humps, rode off to the place where it had been arranged the caravan
should await him. He soon reached the spot, but he found no person
there, and no trace of man or beast having recently passed was visible on
the sand. Imagining that perhaps some derangement of the camels' loads
had delayed our progress, he turned into the road, which it had been
agreed we should follow; but it was to no purpose that he hastened along
it, that he galloped here and there, that he ascended every hill he came
to,--he could see nothing; and the cries he uttered to attract our
attention remained unanswered. He visited several points where various
roads met, but he found merely another confusion of the steps of horses,
camels, oxen, sheep, tending in every direction, and crossing and
recrossing each other, so that he was left, at last, without eve