THE LAMA'S MOTOR-CAR 



669 



are said to have improved since then, he 

 has not entirely given up his former 

 modes of hfe. In spite of the tenets of 

 the Buddhist rehgion, which prescribe 

 cehbacy for all lamas, the god is said to 

 be very susceptible to feminine charms, 

 his favorite being a tall Mongol girl. It 

 is said that her influence over her divine 

 lord is very great. She has commercial 

 instincts and. besides the large sums and 

 presents which she receives, she is re- 

 ported to own a store in Urga and to be 

 fairly rich. 



The god has only to express a wish 

 and his faithful adherents compete with 

 each other to supply his needs ; whether 

 it is a watch, a horse, motor-car, or a 

 new concubine, one is obtained at once. 

 At the present time he is seldom seen by 

 foreigners. He has three palaces in 

 Urga and spends some little time in each. 

 One place is copied from the Russian 

 consulate ; the others are of the native 

 type and quite imposing. 



Mongolia is one of the most interest- 

 ing countries in the world today and also 

 one of the most primitive. The inhabit- 

 ants in many ways resemble our own 

 North American Indians. They have a 

 written language, are blindly devoted to 

 the Buddhist religion, and very fanatical. 

 The lamas, or Buddhist monks, are the 

 curse of ^Mongolia and are parasites liv- 

 ing on the religious credulity of their lay 

 brethren. 



The highlands of Mongolia vary in 

 altitude from 3,000 to 5,500 feet. There 

 are many mountain ranges, and in very 

 few places is the country level for any 

 considerable distance. The word Gobi 

 means a "barren or desolate plain." 

 \'egetation is absent, w'ith the exception 

 of a few grasses, so that argol (or dried 

 camel dung) is the only fuel used. It is 

 collected and stored in large quantities 

 for use during the winter. 



Water is scarce, a few wells along the 

 caravan route furnishing the entire sup- 

 ply. During the winter and spring the 

 camel is the only animal that can cross 

 the desert and subsist on the dried-up 

 grasses. At this season of the year 

 blocks of ice are carried for the water 



supply, and at other seasons two large 

 tubs are carried on each camel, used for 

 this purpose, one tub on each side of the 

 camel. 



The medium of exchange is the Chi- 

 nese tael (an ounce of silver). Small 

 squares or cubes of pressed silk are also 

 used, but brick tea will pass current for 

 barter in any part of Mongolia. Tobacco 

 is also used for this purpose. The trade 

 is in the hands of the Chinese, with the 

 exception of the Russian traders in Urga. 

 There is a Russian and also a Chinese 

 post-office in Urga. Both maiiUain a 

 l)ony express route across the Gobi ; the 

 time is 7 days. 



A CURIOUS METHOD OF BURI.\L 



^Mongols look on the dead in a differ- 

 ent light from the Chinese, and their 

 dead are taken just outside the town and 

 thrown down. The dogs, sometimes those 

 from their own tent and also others, soon 

 make short work of them ; in a couple of 

 hours nothing is left. The natives be- 

 lieve that the quicker this happens, the 

 better chance the spirit of the departed 

 has in reaching Paradise. 



The Mongol is a great meat eater, liv- 

 ing in some cases entirely on mutton. 

 In comparing other foods, he will ask if 

 they are as good as mutton. It is not 

 uncommon for a Mongol to consume 10 

 pounds of this meat at one sitting. He 

 puts mutton fat in his tea. which is pre- 

 pared with milk from the brick tea 

 (poorest grade pressed in bricks), and of 

 this he drinks enormous quantities ; 30 

 cups per day is not an uncommon amount 

 for an adult. There are no regular hours 

 for eating ; the native eats when oppor- 

 tunity offers. Game is not comnicMi near 

 Urga. but many varieties are found in the 

 mountains, though hunting on Rogda Ol 

 (Buddha's Mountain) is prohibited. 



After having delivered the car. we left 

 for Kiachta and the Transiberian Rail- 

 way, riding in a Russian tarantass. By 

 traveling four days and four nights we 

 arrived in Kiachta in time to catch the 

 river steamer going down the river to the 

 railway the following day. Wq arrived 

 back in Tientsin after an absence of 32 

 days, having traveled 1,200 miles over- 



