INCONVENIENCES ARISING FROM COLD. 15 



the nearest Mong-ol yurta to buy argols if we had 

 not already laid in a supply. We paid a high price 

 for the argols, but this was a lesser ill ; how much 

 worse was it when they refused to sell them to us, as 

 the Chinese often did ! Once, at our wits' end for 

 fuel, we were obliged to cut up a saddle in order to 

 boil a little tea, and had to content ourselves with 

 this frugal supper after a march of 23 miles in severe 

 cold and snow-storm ! 



When a fire was lighted inside our tent the 

 warmth was sufficient at all events for that part of 

 the body which was immediately turned towards the 

 hearth ; but the smoke irritated the eyes, and when 

 aggravated by dust became almost unbearable. In 

 winter the steam from the open soup-kettle com- 

 pletely filled our tent, reminding us of a Russian 

 bath, only that of course the temperature was very 

 different. Boiled meat became quite cold before we 

 had time to eat it, and the hands and mouth were 

 covered with a layer of grease which had to be 

 scraped off with a knife. And in the stearine candle 

 that lighted us at supper-time, the part close to the 

 wick would burn down so low, that we had from 

 time to time to break off the outer shell, which 

 remained unaffected by the flame. 



For the night we piled round the tent all the 

 packs and closed the entrance as tightly as possible, 

 but notwithstanding all these precautions the temper- 

 ature inside our dwelling was very little Avarmer 

 than out of doors, as we kept up no fire after 

 supper-time until morning. We all slept under fur 



