he Khalkhas, towards the Russian frontier. As he entered the inn, a
multitude of zealous Buddhists, who had been awaiting him in the great
courtyard, prostrated themselves before him, their faces to the ground.
The Grand Lama proceeded to the apartment which had been prepared for
him, and night coming, the crowd withdrew. When the inn had become
tolerably clear, this strange personage gave full play to his curiosity;
he poked about all over the inn, going into every room, and asking
everybody all sorts of questions, without sitting down or staying
anywhere. As we expected, he favoured us also with a visit. When he
entered our chamber, we were gravely seated on the kang; we studiously
abstained from rising at his entrance, and contented ourselves with
welcoming him by a motion of our hands. He seemed rather surprised at
this unceremonious reception, but not at all disconcerted, Standing in
the middle of the room, he stared at each of us intently, one after the
other. We, like himself, preserving entire silence all the while,
exercised the privilege of which he had set us the example, and examined
him closely. Be seemed about fifty years old; he was enveloped in a
great robe of yellow taffeta, and he wore red velvet Thibetian boots,
with remarkably thick soles. He was of the middle height, and
comfortably stout; his dark brown face denoted extreme good nature, but
there was in his eyes, when you attentively examined them, a strange,
wild, haggard expression, that was very alarming. At length he addressed
us in the Mongol tongue, which he spoke with great facility. In the
first instance, the conversation was nothing more than the ordinary
phrases exchanged between travellers, about one another's health,
destination, horses, the weather, and so on. When we found him
prolonging his visit, we invited him to sit down beside us on the kang;
he hesitated for a moment, conceiving, no doubt, that in his quality as
Living Buddha, it did not become him to place himself on a level with
mere mortals like ourselves. However, as he had a great desire for a
chat, he at last made up his mind to sit down, and in fact he could not,
without compromising his dignity, remain any longer standing while we
sat.

A Breviary that lay on a small table beside us, immediately attracted his
attention, and he asked permission to examine it. Upon our assenting, he
took it up with both hands, admired the binding and the gilt edges,
opened it a