220 DJULDJIG LOSES A HORSE. 



and, wearied with the fatigues of the day, we enjoy 

 the rest of tired warriors. At one of the halts on 

 the shore of the Hoang-ho, my companion's horse 

 broke loose, fell down the steep river bank and was 

 drowned. This was a serious loss, as we could not 

 buy another horse anywhere, and M. Pyltself was 

 obliged to ride a camel. The author of this misfor- 

 tune proved to be Dj'uldj'Ig, who had charge of the 

 animals, and instead of minding his business went to 

 sleep in the bushes. This half-bred Mongol caused 

 us a good deal of unpleasantness from first to last. 

 We hired his services in the mountains of Munni- 

 ula, at the rate of five lans (about 25 shillings) a 

 month, with food found ; at first he behaved re- 

 spectably, but no sooner had we crossed into Ordos 

 than Dj'uldjig became worse than useless. To say 

 nothing of his incorrigible laziness, and disinclina- 

 tion to do any extra work, such as bringing water, 

 collecting argols, and tending camels, &c., he was 

 constantly quarrelling with the Cossacks, and was 

 even saucy to my companion and myself. After 

 a salutary chastisement for his insolence, Djuldjig 

 began to amend his ways, although he continued to 

 be disgracefully idle. We at length got rid of him 

 on arrival at the town of Ding-hu. 



Eighty-three miles above this town the sands 

 of Kuzupchi cross to the opposite bank of the 

 Hoang-ho, and its valley (on the eastward side) be- 

 comes quite barren. The steep ridge of sand which 

 borders the valley up to this point is now replaced 

 by sandy slopes, which gradually rise till opposite 



