13б VIGILANCE NEEDED AGAINST THIEVES. 



he deserted, carrying' off one of our knives and a 

 revolver. This happened during the night, and he 

 had probably laid his plans beforehand, as he did 

 not take his clothes off when he turned in to sleep 

 with the Cossacks. 



I determined to give the missionaries warnino" of 

 their convert's behaviour, and accordingly rode back 

 to Siyinza and related the whole affair to them. They 

 promised to exert their utmost to catch the thief, 

 whose mother served them as cowkeeper ; indeed, 

 before we had gone much further, a Chinaman over- 

 took us, bearing the revolver which had been found 

 on the delinquent ; who, reckoning upon our depar- 

 ture, had returned to his yurta a few days after- 

 wards. 



This was a salutary lesson and caused us to be 

 more than ever distrustful of the inhabitants. Hence- 

 forward to guard against nocturnal robbers we re- 

 solved to keep watch in turns, my companion and I 

 relieving one another every two hours till midnight, 

 when the Cossacks took their turn till dawn. This 

 was harassing work after the fatigues of the day, but 

 it was necessary, at all events during the early part 

 of our journey, surrounded as we often were by a 

 hostile population. Our strength lay in watchful- 

 ness, for we knew that these cowards would never 

 attack openly four well-armed ' foreign devils.' 



We continued to post night-sentries for a fort- 

 night longer, after which we contented ourselves 

 with sleeping with our guns and amniunition ready 

 to hand. 



