94 FIRE-ARMS AND OUTFIT. 



intended devoting a year to the exploration of the" 

 middle course of the Yellow River, and then return- 

 ing to Peking. When everything was ready, our 

 impedimenta consisted chiefly of guns and ammu- 

 nition for the chase, both very ponderous but indis- 

 pensable : first, as a means of collecting specimens 

 of birds and animals ; secondly, because we should 

 have to depend on them for supplying us with food 

 in the districts which had been entirely depopulated 

 by the Dungans, as well as in those parts of China 

 where the inhabitants might refuse to sell us provi- 

 sions in the hopes of starving us out ; lastly, our guns 

 would protect us against robbers, by whom, at. all 

 events during the first year, we were unmolested, a 

 circumstance which may be attributed to our being 

 Avell-armed, and proving the force of the old maxim, 

 ' Si vis pacem para belliim! 



The rest of our baggage comprised the appara- 

 tus for preparing specimens and drying plants ; such 

 as blotting-paper, pressing-boards, tow for stuffing, 

 plaster-of- Paris, alum, &c., &c. All this was packed 

 into four large boxes which galled the backs of our 

 camels, but, at the same time, were indispensable 

 to contain the collections. Lastly, I purchased a 

 quantity of small articles for the sum of about 40/. 

 to assist me in my assumed character of merchant. 

 This merchandise, however, proved to be a" useless 

 incumbrance ; the time lost in trafficking interfered 

 with our scientific pursuits, and did not serve to 

 conceal the real object of our journey. The pro- 

 visions for our immediate wants were a case of 



