SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 
down. Everybody and everything was drenched, 
and momentarily the wind threatened to carry 
away the tent, on to which we were all hanging 
for dear life. The storm did not last long, how- 
ever, so that when we got thé stove going we 
were able to get our clothes and belongings dry 
before nightfall. 
We were now well into Mongol territory and 
could no longer expect to find inns or any shelter 
except that of our own tents. The Mongols 
along this route, owing to their continual inter- 
course with travelling Chinese, who are ever on 
the alert to cheat them, were inclined to be in- 
hospitable even to us. They generally refused 
to sell us even the commonest commodities, such 
as milk and argol, except at extortionate prices, 
preferring to lose the sale rather than reduce the 
price quoted by a single cash. This attitude is 
searcely to be wondered at, for it is the last re- 
source of the poor Mongol against the cunning 
and avarice of the Chinese, who above all other 
peoples are skilled in the art of cheating and 
swindling. Even as it is, the Mongols for decades 
past have been cheated out of land and cattle 
till many of them are reduced to abject poverty. 
The Chinese trader or dealer makes his appearance 
amongst the Mongols bringing with him all sorts 
of articles that he knows will appeal to their 
simple minds. These he sells at excessive rates, 
and refuses to accept immediate payment. He 
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