THE SECOND VOLUME. vii 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE TANGUTANS AND DUNCANS. 



PAGE 



Tangutan territory — The people — Characteristic traits — Stature ; -^ 



appearance; mode of wearing hair — Kara Tangutans — Lan- 

 guage ; dress ; habitations — Black tents and wooden huts — 

 Occupations — The domesticated Yak — Its different uses — 

 Nomadising habits — Contrast between Mongols and Tangutans 

 — Industry ; food ; dirt — Tonkir, a trade centre— Avarice — 

 Polite customs — Monogamy — Religion — Government — Dun- 

 gans or Mahommedan rebels — Their temporary success — 

 Chinese towns fall into their hands — Revolt becomes brigandage 

 — Opportunities neglected^Causes of non-success — Cowardice 

 of rebels and of Chinese — Inefficient weapons — Siege of 

 Chobsen — Commercial relations between belligerents — Mea- 

 sures of Chinese Government — Chinese soldiers — Bad arms — 

 Want of discipline — Opium smoking — Looting — Government 

 defrauded — Desertion — Punishment — Low morals — Mode of 

 fighting — State of Affairs in Kan-su — Chinese take the offensive 

 —Advance on Si-ning — Assault of this town — Marriage of 

 Emperor of China — Siege operations suspended — Cowardice of 

 besieged — Capture of Si-ning and advance westwards — 

 Tangutan Vocabulary . . . . . . . .109 



CHAPTER V. 



KOKO-NOR AND TSAIDAM. 



The lake — Colour of its waters — Island and temple — Fish — 

 Legendary origin of lake — Its shores — Birds — Animals — The 

 Kulan or wild ass — Eleuth Mongols — Low standard of civilisa- 

 tion — Kara-Tangutans — Their predatory habits — Mongol tradi- 

 tion concerning them— Administrative divisions of Koko-nor — 

 We buy fresh camels — ^Tibetan envoy— Favourable opportunity 

 of reaching Lhassa lost — We determine to advance^Guides — 

 Temple of Kumbum and its sacred tree — Tibetan medicine — 

 Route along shore' of lake — Pouhain-gol — Hue's account of 

 river inaccurate — Southern Koko-nor range — Djaratai-dabas 

 salt basin — Princess of Koko-nor — The Tsing-hai-wang — Our 

 reception — My reputation as saint, prophet, and physician — 

 Bauvtstcitismus, a universal panacea — Mongol ailments — Plain 

 of Tsaidam — The Baian-gol — Saline vegetation — Karmyk 

 berries — Scarcity of animal life — Inhabitants — Lake Lob — 

 Wild camels and wild horses — Autumn on Koko-nor — Clear 

 atmosphere — Cultivated land — Crossing the marshes — Tsung- 

 zasak — Mongol guide 'Chutun dzamba' ..... 139 



