ENCOUNTERS WITH CHINESE SOLDIERS. ii 



protection against Dungans. In the district between 

 the towns of Ning-hia-fu and Bautu the number 

 of these troops is estimated at seventy thousand, 

 although numerous desertions are said to have dimi- 

 nished this army to one-half of its nominal strength. 

 The soldiers are so demoralised that they do nothing 

 but plunder the inhabitants, who look upon them as 

 terrible scourges. The Mongols often told us that 

 they had more cause to dread the presence of their 

 defenders, the Chinese soldiers, than that of the 

 Dungans, because the latter * robbed them once for 

 all, and had done with it, but the soldiery kept con- 

 tinually looting.' 



Even we had some disagreeable encounters with 

 the Chinese soldiers. Once they tried to take 

 possession of our camels ; on another occasion two 

 soldiers ordered us to draw water out of a well for 

 their horses. But the rascals were punished as they 

 deserved, and left us somewhat crestfallen. 



Near the mountains we saw the old channel of 

 the Hoang-ho (Ulan-khatun), which is 1,190 feet 

 wide, and very distinctly discernible, although com- 

 pletely dry and grass-grown. The Mongols told us 

 that this desiccated river-bed separated from the 

 present Hoang-ho at the point Avhere the sand-drifts 

 of Ordos crossed into Ala-shan ; the old channel 

 passes close to the mountains for a considerable dis- 

 tance, then taking a sharp turn it unites with the 

 present river near the western extremity of the 

 Munni-ula. 



There are two lesser arms between the former 



