86 ACROSS MONGOLIAN PLAINS 



presenting a sloping surface to the wind at every angle. 

 One corner can be lifted to cause a draft through the 

 door and an open fire can be built in the tent without 

 danger of suffocation from the smoke ; moreover, it can 

 be erected by a single person in ten minutes. We had 

 an American wall tent also, but found it such a nuisance 

 that we used it only during bad weather. In the wind 

 which always blows upon the plains it flapped and flut- 

 tered to such a degree that we could hardly sleep. 



As every traveler knows, the natives of a country 

 usually have developed the best possible clothes and 

 dwellings for the peculiar conditions under which they 

 live. Just as the Mongol felt-covered yurt and tent are 

 all that can be desired, so do they know that fur and 

 leather are the only clothing to keep them warm during 

 the bitter winter months. 



In the carts we had an ample supply of flour, bacon, 

 coffee, tea, sugar, and dried fruit. For meat, we de- 

 pended upon our guns, of course, and always had as 

 much as could be used. Although we did not travel de 

 luxe, nevertheless we were entirely comfortable. When 

 a man boasts of the way in which he discards even neces- 

 saries in the field, you can be morally certain that he has 

 not done much real traveling. "Roughing it" does not 

 harmonize well with hard work. One must accept 

 enough discomforts under the best conditions without 

 the addition of any which can be avoided. Good health 

 is the prime requisite in the field. Without it you are 

 lost. The only way in which to keep fit and ready to 

 give every ounce of physical and mental energy to tne 



