220 CHUTUN-DZAMBA. 



Like all Mongols, he was a dreadful hypocrite, 

 and lazy to a degree. Once on his camel he would 

 ^ never cease muttering his prayers through the march, 

 and would not dismount to луа1к for any considera- 

 tion, even in the coldest Aveather, or on the steep 

 descents and in other dangerous places, where it 

 would have been safer to have tried the streno^th of 

 the ice. A casual observer might have taken him 

 for a plucky fellow, but the fact was that his exces- 

 sive laziness overcame his fear. 



Chutun-dzamba, however, took good care of 

 himself, and laid in a supply of medicines for the 

 road, with which he doctored himself daily for some 

 imaginary complaint. He was really ill several 

 times, but this was entirely owing to the extraordi- 

 nary quantity of meat he had eaten. During dinner 

 he ranged round him plates of frozen yak-dung, on 

 which he placed junks of hot meat to cool, and which, 

 as these melted, adhered to the meat, and must 

 truly have added a fine flavour to his viands, judging 

 from the relish with which he ate ! His behaviour 

 after dinner was equally indelicate, and in the even- 

 ings he employed himself industriously in the de- 

 struction of the parasitical insects which swarmed in 

 his habiliments. 



Another trait in his character was the passion he 

 had for picking up and hiding in his bag all sorts of 

 odds and ends and rubbish which we had thrown 

 away. Thus, an old bit of leather or tin, a spoilt 

 steel nib, a scrap of paper, empty cartridge cases, all 

 would find their way into his travelling bag, and at 



