THE ALA-SHAN MOUNTAINS. 259 



Din yiian-ing, having gone to Peking, whence they 

 would not return before the autumn. 



In accordance with the plan we had previously 

 sketched, we purposed marching straight to Urga 

 from Din-yuan-ing, by way of the Central Gobi, a 

 route which had never before been travelled by any 

 European, and was therefore of the greatest scien- 

 tific interest. Before starting, however, we deter- 

 mined to rest, and to take this opportunity of explor- 

 ing more thoroughly than last time the mountains of 

 Ala-shan. 



These were not so deserted as they had been 

 when we saw them in 1S71, for, upon the cessation 

 of brigandage, many of the Mongols had returned 

 hither ; ruined temples were being restored ; and 

 hundreds of Chinese from Ning-hia were engaged in 

 felling timber. The difficulty was to find a ravine 

 untenanted by some of these people, and we were 

 obliged after all to choose one in which there was no 

 water, preferring to be two miles away from such a 

 necessary to abiding cheek by jowl with either Mon- 

 gols oi(Chinamen.^ We sent our camels out to grass 

 about thirty miles from Din-yuan-ing, keeping with 

 us only the two horses, which took it in turn to fetch 

 water. 



Here we stayed three weeks, and finally came 

 to the conclusion that the mountains of Ala-shan are 

 rich neither in flora nor in fauna. As regards the 



' The ravine in wliich we were encamped is eleven miles WSW. 

 of Din-yuan-ing. 



s 2 



