so CARAP'AN STARTS. 



mortal, relieved him from his duties, and allowed him 

 once more to mount his steed and enjoy his favourite 

 pursuit. 



The day after we joined the Tangutans the cara- 

 van started. We brought up the rear with our camels, 

 in order not to detain the others by any stoppage 

 arising from the refastening of a pack or any accident 

 of that kind. Althouo-h the sale of our merchandise 



о 



at Din-yuan-Ing had considerably diminished the bulk 

 of our baggage, the necessity for laying in a stock 

 of provisions (rice and millet), which we had heard 

 were unobtainable in Kan-su, besides other minor 

 purchases, such as spare ropes, felting, &c., increased 

 our effects so materially that we had still nine good 

 camel-loads. It was now more difficult for our 

 party of four to manage this train, being no longer 

 independent as to our movements, but obliged to 

 keep pace with the caravan. I tried In vain to hire 

 a Mongol assistant, but no one w^uld come even 

 for a good sum of money. It was with the greatest 

 difficulty that I succeeded in persuading some of the 

 Tangutans to allow our camels to pasture with their 

 own at night on payment of a rouble (2^-. 6d) a day 

 to the watcher. As for the other work, we had to 

 do It all ourselves, and could find no spare time 

 even to think of science on the road. 



We generally rose about midnight, in order to 

 avoid the heat of the day, and marched from twenty 

 to twenty-five miles, or even more sometimes, to the 

 halting-place, which was usually near a well ; but if 

 there were; none near, we would dig a hole in the 



