SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 
so would ride long distances over the plain, taking 
everything as it came. In this way we secured. 
many good bags of ducks, geese and hare. Once 
as we were returning to camp a bustard, flying 
overhead, was brought down by Warrington, who 
let drive from horseback with No. 2 shot. 
On more than one occasion during these excur- 
sions, Warrington, who as yet was not familiar 
with the treacherous mud-flats, nearly came to 
grief in the quicksands. 
One day, having been tempted out upon the 
mud-flats by a large flock of water-fowl, we suc- 
ceeded in securing a goose and two mallards. I 
went after the former, and my companion after 
the latter. After securing my goose, I turned to 
see where Warrington was, and was horrified to 
see him struggling almost up to his waist in sinking 
sands. Hurrying to his rescue, I arrived just as 
he had succeeded in extricating himself. He 
had lost his gun, however, the butt of which could 
be seen protruding just above the surface of the 
mud. I went to try to secure it, but soon found 
myself in difficulties, from which I had consider- 
able trouble in extricating myself. We then went 
inland and cut some sorghum stalks, with which 
to make a safe path over the quicksands. Some 
Chinese helped us carry these down to the river’s 
edge. One of them asked me what we were 
trying to do, asI carefully laid the sorghum stalks 
out over the treacherous surface. I pointed to 
77 
