THE PEOPLE OF THE WILDERNESS 



525 



Photograph from I.uther Anderson 



A MONGOLIAN LADY SITS FOR HER PORTRAIT BEFORE A CHINESE PHOTOGRAPHER 



Note the primness of the pose, the beauty spot on each cheek, and the cup-and-saucer and 

 clock decorations at the ladv's right. 



One of the greatest festivals of the 

 Lama church is the Devil Dance, which 

 takes place each spring and represents 

 the chasing out of the Spirit of Evil. 

 The dance is simply a series of postur- 

 ings of men and boys in rich costumes 

 and fearsome animal masks accompanied 

 by an impressive chant. 



But a far more interesting survival of 

 the primitive nature cult is known as the 

 Midsummer Festival. It attracts crowds 

 of pilgrims. Caravans begin to arrive 

 many days in advance, when the sur- 



roundings of the temple present a busy 

 scene of activity, with Chinese traders 

 crying their wares and itinerant restau- 

 rants preparing food 



The richer and more prosperous visi- 

 tors arrive in camel-carts, with an im- 

 pressive train of outriders, and camp in 

 their own tents. Some families come in 

 bullock- wagons, which, with a few mats 

 fixed over them, make admirable shelters 

 for their stay. 



But by far the greatest number appear 

 on horseback, solitary or in companies, 



