6 NORTHERN MONGOLIA. 



home-sick that I was obhged to send him back, and 

 received two new Cossacks in his stead. 



At length, towards the evening of November 29, 

 new style/ we started on our journey. The harnessed 

 camel set in motion the cart which contained myself 

 and companion and our common friend, a setter, 

 ' Faust,' brought with us from Russia. Soon we 

 left Kiakhta behind, and entered Mongolia. Fare- 

 well my country, a long farewell ! shall we ever see 

 thee again, or shall we never return from that distant 

 foreign land ? 



For the w^hole distance of about 200 miles " from 

 Kiakhta to Urga the appearance of the country 

 quite equals that of the best parts of our Trans- 

 Baikalia ; here we see the same abundance of trees 

 and water, the same luxuriant pasturage on the 

 gentler slopes of the hills ; in fact, there is nothing to 

 remind the traveller of his proximity to the desert. 

 The absolute height of the region between Kiakhta 

 and the river ^ Kara-gol averages 2,500 feet ; then 

 the country rises till it attains at Urga an elevation 

 of 4,200 feet above the level of the sea. This ascent 

 forms the outer northern border of the vast plateau 

 of the Gobi. 



' All the dates in this translation hare been reduced to the new 

 style. — M. 



"^ According to a recent traveller, the distance from Urga to 

 Kiakhta is 176 miles. See ' Rough Notes of a Journey made in the 

 Years 1868-73,' p. 19. Tnibner, 1874.— M. 



•^ The word gol is the Mongol for river, and is always added to 

 the name of a river, in the same way as nor (more correctly nur, lake) 

 to the name of a lake, and daban (range) or ula (mountain) to the 

 name of a range or a mountain. [See Supplementary Note.] 



