SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 



From time to time we crossed shallow rivers, 

 all of which flowed in a south-easterly direction. 

 They had cut down through the fifty feet or so of 

 sand to bedrock, which consisted of the same red 

 sandstone that we had noticed at the sources of 

 the Yen-shui. At one place there was a wonderful 

 natural arch spanning the river, over which the 

 road lay. 



On the third day, April 18, we reached a place 

 named Hai-liu-t'u-ho, where we secured the first 

 specimen of the Ordos jerboa (Dipus sowerbyi). 



Herbage of any sort was very scarce, dwarf 

 willows, a coarse grass and a sort of sage brush 

 composing the sparsely distributed thickets. 



In one or two places we came across a species 

 of conifer, which grew in thick clusters amongst 

 the sand hills, and which we found to be very 

 resinous, burning furiously even when quite fresh 

 and green. 



April 19 we spent at Hai-liu-t'u-ho in the hope 

 of securing some more jerboas. Two more were 

 brought in by the natives. That day a terrible 

 sandstorm sprang up, so that when we set out 

 the following day there was no sign of a road. 

 We could not hire a guide as the people refused 

 to have anything further to do with us. A baby 

 and a cow had died in the village during our stay, 

 and the superstitious natives looked upon us as 

 the cause of these disasters. 



The consequence was that we soon went astray. 



27 



