14б DIFFICULTIES IN OTHER PURCHASES. 



or Other, and the silver is weighed out. But even 

 now the master of the sheep tries to make something 

 more out of it, and asks for the entrails, which are 

 usually peremptorily refused. 



The whole process as we have described it occu- 

 pies about two hours, and we always had to go 

 through it whenever we had occasion to purchase a 

 sheep during our three years' wanderings. The 

 average price of one of these animals in South-eastern 

 Mongolia is from two to three lans (lis. to 165-. 6d.) ; 

 but their quality is excellent, especially in the Khalka 

 country, where a full-grown fat sheep yields from 

 fifty-five to seventy pounds of meat or even more, 

 the rump fat [ktcrdiuk) alone weighing from eight to 

 twelve pounds. The difficulties in buying milk are 

 also very considerable, and nothing will induce them 

 to sell it in cloudy weather. We were sometimes suc- 

 cessful in overcoming the scruples of one of the fair 

 sex by a present of needles or red beads, but in such 

 case she always begged us to cover the vessel over 

 when removing it from the yurta, in order that the 

 heavens should not witness the wicked deed. I may 

 add that Mongols keep milk in the dirtiest way ima- 

 ginable. It frequently happened that one of them 

 would ride up to our tent with a jugful for sale, the 

 lid and spout of the vessel having been smeared with 

 fresh cowdung to prevent the liquid splashing out 

 on the road. Cows' teats are never washed before 

 milking, nor are the vessels into which the milk is 

 poured. The price is high ; and we usually paid i].d. 

 or зл'. a bottle for it ; butter averaged i^. 6d. a pound. 



