34 ACROSS MONGOLIAN PLAINS 



when a delicious odor of roast lamb began to arise from 

 the motor, we realized that we were all very hungry. 

 Dry macaroni would hardly do and the sausage must be 

 saved for dinner. All the afternoon that tantalizing 

 odor hovered in the air and I began to imagine that I 

 could even smell mint sauce. 



At six o'clock we saw the first yurt and purchased a 

 supply of argul so that we could save time in making 

 camp. The lamps of the car were hors de combat and 

 a watery moon did not give us sufficient light by which 

 to drive in safety, so we stopped on a hilltop shortly 

 after dark. In the morning when the motor was cold 

 we could save time and strength in cranking by push- 

 ing it down the slope. 



Much to our disgust we found that the argul we had 

 purchased from the Mongol was so mixed with dirt that 

 it would not burn. After half an hour of fruitless work 

 I gave up, and we divided the tin of cold sausage. It 

 was a pretty meager dinner for four hungry men and I 

 retired into my sleeping bag to dream of roast lamb and 

 mint sauce. When the Cossack officer found that he 

 was not to have his tea he was like a child with a stick 

 of candy just out of reach. He tried to sleep but it was 

 no use, and in half an hour I opened my eyes to see him 

 flat on his face blowing lustily at a piece of argul which 

 he had persuaded to emit a faint glow. For two mortal 

 hours the Russian nursed that fire until his pot of water 

 reached the boiling point. Then he insisted that we all 

 wake up to share his triumph. 



We reached the mission station at noon next day, and 



