INHABITED REGIONS AGAIN 1085 
several words. The place where Dorcheh had pitched 
his tent was called Mcisscito, and the stream which 
flowed through the valley was one of the head-streams 
of the Naijin-gol. The camel-tracks which we observed 
two or three days previously were made by the cattle 
of a camp-mate, who had just transported all his belong- 
ings to his winter-camp in Hajar. If we had followed 
their track, we should have reached Hajar in five 
days ; whereas by our present route it would take us 
eight days. 
One day’s journey down the valley there was a settle- 
ment of Naiji Mongols. A short time previously they 
had been attacked by a party of Tangut robbers, who 
came from the south-east, all armed to the teeth, and 
carried off everything they could lay their hands on. 
The unfortunate Mongols were reduced to living ex- 
clusively upon yak beef; they sent a deputation to the 
governor of Si-ning-fu, and he gave them a supply of 
bread and flour. Dorcheh advised us therefore not to 
continue in that direction, for we should find nothing at 
all to eat. 
In return for his information, I gave the old man a 
cigarette and filled his powder-horn ; with which he was 
well pleased. And so that red-letter day came to an 
end. The constant loneliness had made us somewhat 
irritable, and “stale.” This first contact with our fellow- 
men freshened us all up, and re-awakened our interests, 
so that there was quite a new music in the prattling 
stream, as it rippled amongst the granite blocks which 
littered its bed. 
It was a pure matter of course, that we stayed all 
the next day beside the first Mongols we came into 
contact with. Nor were we at all idle. In the first 
place, we bought three horses of a small breed and 
in pretty fair condition, as well as two sheep to kill 
on the road. We also thinned out the worst of our 
own animals, including two wasted camels. Goats’ 
milk was the only other thing the Mongols had to 
offer us ; but it was most welcome. In return for the 
