SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 
The Mongols seemed to appreciate the religious 
significance of the function, and one and all went 
into the temples to perform little acts of worship, 
such as the tolling of a bell, the lighting of a candle, 
which they bought from the priest at an exorbitant 
price, or the prostrating of themselves before the 
great Buddha, which sat, sublimely indifferent, at 
the head of the hall. The Chinese on the other 
hand were little more than sight-seers, only a very 
few performing any acts of worship. 
Outside the temple there were peep-shows, 
conjurers and quack medicine sellers, one of 
whom advertised the efficacy of his wares by 
cutting himself with a knife and stopping the flow 
of blood by the application of a white powder. 
This he subsequently sold at the rate of three 
packets for four cents. He netted about twenty 
cents, after having talked for an hour, and made 
an incision in his thigh half an inch deep and three 
inches long. How often he repeated this per- 
formance during the day it would be interesting 
to know. There were, besides, the usual medley 
of food-stalls and tea-booths. 
On entering the temple a brilliant scene un- 
folded itself before us. Hundreds of brightly 
clad Mongols swarmed across the courts, up the 
great flight of stone steps and into the lofty 
prayer hall. Following the crowd, we entered the 
hall. Here all was confusion, as the lamas were 
busily engaged in shifting great pieces of furniture 
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