134 YARKAND. 



we hoped for an opportunity, as we should take 

 the skin home, he inquired if we kept the bones, 

 and on hearing they were no good to us, begged 

 that we would send them to him, as they were 

 much prized to make medicine of. He said they 

 also used the horns of the maral stag for this 

 purpose, but to be of any use they must be 

 procured in summer, when they are soft in 

 velvet. 



We now, according to regulation, asked per- 

 mission to drink a cup of tea which had been 

 placed at our elbow on first entry. The Chinese 

 way of drinking tea is to put the leaf into a cup, 

 fill it up with hot water, and let it draw before 

 drinking. It is served to visitors in a cup of 

 honour i.e., a cup standing in a square saucer, 

 with a round one covering the top. With very 

 great men the under saucer is made of silver. 



After explaining our reasons for parting from 

 one another, we asked if he could not give Bower 

 a separate passport. He said this was not feas- 

 ible, as he was inferior in rank to the Dotai or 

 governor, and that we had better go on to Maral- 

 bashi together, and Bower might then go on to 

 Kashgar. There was nothing further to be done, 

 so we took our leave, and he very graciously 



