44 ACROSS MONGOLIAN PLAINS 



almost every night the Mongols came loping into camp 

 on their hardy, little ponies. 



But this evening, when we had prepared an especial 

 celebration, the audience did not arrive. It was a bit- 

 ter disappointment, for we were consumed with curi- 

 osity to know what effect the blazing arc would have 

 upon the Mongolian stoics. We could not believe that 

 natives had not seen the light but probably they 

 thought it was some spirit manifestation which was to 

 be avoided. An hour after we were snuggled in our 

 fur sleeping bags, two Mongols rode into camp, but 

 we were too sleepy to give an exhibition of the fire- 

 works. 



We reached Panj-kiang about noon of the second 

 day and found that a large mud house and a spacious 

 compound had been erected beside the telegraph sta- 

 tion by the Chinese company which was endeavoring 

 to maintain a passenger service between Kalgan and 

 Urga. The Chinese government also had invaded the 

 field and was sending automobiles regularly to the 

 Mongolian capital as a branch service of the Peking- 

 Suiyuan railroad. In the previous September we had 

 passed half a dozen of their motors in charge of a for- 

 eign representative of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson and 

 Co. of Shanghai from whom the cars were purchased. 

 He discovered immediately that the difficulties which 

 the Chinese had encountered were largely the result of 

 incompetent chauffeurs. 



We had kept a sharp lookout for antelope, but saw 

 nothing except a fox which looked so huge in the clear 



