SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 



we realized this, and as a result we were often 

 very much confused at the answers we received 

 when asking the distance to places. 



Leaving Ts'a-han-k'u-luan on July 18, we con- 

 tinued over slightly undulating country till we 

 reached a temple called Borrosun, where we stopped 

 and had a cup of tea with a fat lama. Here we 

 came upon the first Mongol encampments, for round 

 the temple there were numerous tents, some of 

 which were very fine indeed, denoting the presence 

 of some petty chiefs. The lamas in the temple 

 were very hospitable, serving us with their best 

 and refusing with indignation our offer to pay 

 for what we had received. 



After leaving Borrosun we once more encoun- 

 tered cultivated fields and Chinese farms. Here 

 wheat and mustard were being grown on a large 

 scale. Sometimes a single field would stretch 

 for a mile or more without a break. The Chinese 

 settlers were all new in the country and many 

 were still building shacks and huts to live in. We 

 lunched at one of these farms, after which we 

 continued in a north-north-easterly direction 

 towards some low hills. As we crossed the first 

 ridge of these we could see storm clouds gathering 

 in the west, so that, when we reached a Mongol 

 camp beside a small lake called Dahmun Nor, we 

 hastened to pitch our tents. We were too late, 

 however, and the storm struck us just as we had 

 the first tent in position, but before it was pegged 



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