1 68 A SCENT OF MUNNI- ULA . NA TIVES A STONISHED. 



this way they contrived to raise some nearly to the 

 top, but before they could grasp the precious metal 

 in their hands it fell back again, and no human power 

 could extract it from the enchanted spot. 



We spent three days in endeavouring to find a 

 pass over the Munni-ula mountains (for neither 

 Chinese nor Mongols would show us the road), first 

 trying one valley, then another, without success ; the 

 valleys always narrowed into gorges, and perpendi- 

 cular cliffs soon barred our further progress. At 

 length on the third day we found a stream, the Ara- 

 mirgin-gol, which we ascended almost to its source 

 in the chief axis of the range, and here we pitched 

 our tent in a small clearing in the forest. 



Our appearance and stay in these mountains cre- 

 ated a panic among the Chinese and Mongol inhab- 

 itants, who now saw Europeans for the first time,^ and 

 could not imagine what kind of people we were. 

 The reports and conjectures on our arrival were 

 endless. The lamas actually consulted the auguries, 

 and prohibited the Mongols from selling us provi- 

 sions ; this order emanated from the superior of the 

 temple of H imping, and caused us some inconveni- 

 ence, for our supplies were nearly exhausted at that 

 time. We hoped to have been able to provide 

 ourselves with food by the chase, but in our ig- 

 norance of the localities we did not bag any game 

 for some days, and consequently were obliged to 



' Four years before our visit to these mountains the French mis- 

 sionary and naturahst Armand David was here on his way from 

 Peking to Ordos. 



