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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Thither Anderson 

 COYNESS IS NO PREROGATIVE OF OCCI- 

 DENTAL WOMANKIND 



One would never suspect from her jovial 

 demeanor and her gala costume that this Mon- 

 golian woman leads a rather lonely life in her 

 felt-covered vurt (seen in the background) 

 while her lord and master is tending his herds 

 on the steppe. Her neighbors are few and far 

 apart, and her chief opportunity for social 

 intercourse is found during the. fairs (see text, 

 page 54i). 



him against the bitter cold. As for his 

 food, this intelligent little beast learns to 

 scrape away the snow with his forefeet 

 and find the sparse remains of the sum- 

 mer grass underneath. 



WILD PONIES 01? MONGOLIA ARE CAUGHT 

 with POLES 



Though mares, easily distinguished by 

 trailing manes and tails, are kept at home 



for breeding purposes, Mongol ponies are 

 exported in great numbers to China. 

 They roam the plains freely until wanted, 

 and are then captured in a curious way. 



Two or three Mongols start out to- 

 gether on fleet mounts specially trained 

 for their work. The riders carry long 

 birch poles, like fishing-rods, with a rope 

 noose at one end. When the chosen ani- 

 mal is overtaken, the noose is slipped over 

 its neck with a dexterous twist (see illus- 

 trations, pages 528, 529, and 530). 



One man then dismounts and, squatting 

 upon his haunches, seizes the terrified 

 animal by the tail. Like the proverbial 

 dog with the tin can, he starts off at a 

 run, dragging the man behind him. The 

 latter slides along over the grass in his 

 soft felt boots till the beast stops ex- 

 hausted. Then he is easily thrown and a 

 saddle fixed on his back. 



Again the animal struggles, squealing 

 like a pig meanwhile, but a strong rider 

 manages to mount him, and after a few 

 minutes the pony is considered tamed and 

 fit to be ridden — by Mongols, at least. 



FIELD-MICE OFTEN CAUSE DOWNFALL OF 

 EXPERT HORSEMEN 



Expert horsemasters from childhood, 

 both men and women are equally at home 

 in the saddle. In fact, the pony is man's 

 inseparable companion on the steppes, 

 and the Mongol, who will never walk if 

 he can help it, develops an unsteady, roll- 

 ing gait when ill-luck forces him afoot. 



The plains, stretching for miles and 

 miles, would be ideal riding country but 

 for one defect. Falls with fatal results 

 are sometimes occasioned by hollow 

 ground. Field-mice and marmots exca- 

 vate galleries a few inches below the sur- 

 face of the earth, and a pony passing 

 over these must go through. Such dan- 

 gerous spots are usually distinguished by 

 a different color and appearance, but 

 sometimes even a practiced eye may be at 

 fault, especially in early spring, when 

 hrge tracts of the plain are accidentally 

 fired by passing caravans. 



James Gilmour tells an amusing story 

 of an accident due to a few moments' in- 

 attention — quite enough to bring down 

 the best horse and rider. 



"My guide was before me," he says in 

 his "Travels," "and we were going at a 



