A MEDICAL HARVEST. 249 



and grasses. As they came, descending from the 

 mountains, supported by their long staves and 

 bearing these burdens, they appeared more like 

 poaching woodcutters than like future doctors in 

 medicine. M. Hue, after describing these botani- 

 cal gatherings, says : " We were often obliged to 

 escort in person those of the number who had 

 special charge of the aromatic plants ; for our 

 camels, which, attracted by the odour, always put 

 themselves in pursuit of these personages ; would 

 otherwise inevitably, and without the smallest 

 scruple, have devoured those precious simples des- 

 tined for the relief of suffering humanity." The 

 remainder of the day was occupied in cleaning and 

 spreading out on mats these various products of 

 the vegetable kingdom. This medical harvest con- 

 tinued eight whole days ; five more were devoted 

 to the selection and classification of the various 

 articles, and on the fourteenth day a small portion 

 was given to each student, the greater proportion 

 remaining the property of the Faculty of Medicine. 

 On the fifteenth day a festival was kept, when a 

 grand banquet of tea, with milk, barleymeal, little 

 cakes fried in butter, and boiled mutton, regaled 

 the neophytes of the Lamasery. Thus terminated 

 this very original and amusing fete champetre, or 

 botanico -medical expedition, and the illustrious 

 Faculty gaily returned to Kounboum. 



