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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 





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t-i c ^ x ^fe 



to eat comfortably, 

 having to attack, with 

 only the assistance of 

 a knife, a great ex- 

 panse of fat mutton 

 spread on a brass dish 

 nearly two feet in 

 diameter. 



Practice, however, 

 makes Mongols ex- 

 pert, and in an incred- 

 ibly short time each 

 native has gobbled his 

 share, seizing the piece 

 of meat in his left 

 hand and cutting it off 

 close to his lips, while 

 the knife flashes past 

 so close to his face 

 that, but for his short 

 nose, accidents would 

 certainly happen. 



After all have gorged 

 themselves and grown 

 cheery with copious 

 drafts of airak, hosts 

 and guests mingle 

 with the crowd in the 

 meadow for the "fun 

 of the fair." Many 

 gather round a story- 

 teller, who recites a 

 legend drawn from 

 the rich Mongolian 

 folklore, some histor- 

 ical incident connected 

 with the Great Khan 

 or some quaint fairy 

 tale inspired by the 

 mystery of the steppes. 



A MONGOLIAN WREST- 

 LING BOUT 



The majority hasten 

 to see the wrestlers 

 (see illustration on 

 this page) . Dressed in 

 a costume with stiff 

 vest and short skirt, 

 not unlike the garb of 

 a Roman soldier, two 

 champions face each 

 other in the center of 

 an open space. One 

 is obviously a horse- 

 man, to judge by his 



