THE STRONG HAND NECESSARY. 151 



way. The Chinese would then approach, but instead 

 of answering our questions, they would handle and 

 examine our saddles and boots, look with awe at 

 our guns, enquire whither we were bound, whence 

 and wherefore had we come, &c. As for the direc- 

 tions about our road, they were entirely omitted, and 

 only as an exceptional piece of good luck would a 

 Chinaman point in the direction we had to go. 

 From the number of cross roads leadino- from village 

 to village such directions as these were an insuf- 

 ficient guide, and we therefore went at hap-hazard 

 till we came to another village, when the same ex- 

 periences were repeated. 



Once the Chinese took it into their heads to let 

 loose one of their chained dogs at us, with the inten- 

 tion of killing ' Faust' Fortunately he happened to 

 be close to me at the time, and no sooner had the 

 mastiff attacked him than I drew one of my revolvers 

 from the holster and shot it dead on the spot. Upon 

 this the Chinese at once dispersed to their homes, 

 and we continued our journey without any further 

 molestation. One must act promptly in these coun- 

 tries, for if you let them kill your dog one day, they 

 may try and kill you the next, and then it becomes a 

 much more serious affair ; but if you make them feel 

 that you will not put up with insults, they will treat 

 you much better, although, of course, the hatred to 

 foreigners always remains, and Europeans must 

 endure it. 



At Tsagan-chulutai,^ one of the Chinese settle- 



^ Properly Tsagan-chulu, i.e. ' Wliite Stones,' in Mongolian. 



