SOUTHERN ALA-SHAN. 53 



loitered behind the caravan, and, sitting down on my 

 heels, made notes of the surrounding objects. Even 

 then I had to exercise the greatest caution, because, 

 if once found out, I could never have removed the 

 suspicions which would have arisen as to the objects 

 of our journey. 



The difficulties of collecting plants were also 

 very great. No sooner did we gather some herb 

 than a number of the Tangutans would surround us, 

 exclaiming, ' Yamur yem ? ' (What medicine is it }) or, 

 * Tsisik sehken fiihna ? ' (Isit a good flower ?) When 

 any of our party shot a bird, they would ride up and 

 enquire what bird we had killed ? was it good to 

 eat ? how had we shot it ? &c. These annoyances, 

 however disagreeable, had to be endured with the 

 best possible grace. 



The road from Din-yuan-ing led at first south, 

 and afterwards almost due west, to the town of Ta- 

 jing, v/hich is situated Avithin the limits of the pro- 

 vince of Kan-su. 



The south of Ala-shan differs but little from the 

 northern and central parts of that country : like them, 

 it is a wilderness in the full meaning of the word ; its 

 sands are even more extensive, and have well earned 

 their Mongol appellation of Tingeri, i.e. sky. These 

 drift-sands form the southern border of Ala-shan, 

 from the Hoang-ho on the east to the river Etsina 

 on the west, as we were told by the Mongols. 

 Havingr crossed the Tinoferi for ten miles in their 



О о 



narrowest eastern part, w^e became well acquainted 

 with them. 



