CHAPTER XCII. 
THROUGH THE COUNTRY OF THE TANGUTS 
r Dulan-yung (the Warm River) we stayed over 
November 4 th and let the worn-out night-watchmen 
lie and snore all day long. Loppsen still continued to 
urge vigilance, warning us not to be lulled into a false 
sense of security by the apparent friendliness of the 
Tanguts and the cheap price (a Hang or tael, worth about 
^s. i^d.) at which they had sold us the sheep and the 
milk ; he was afraid they meant to recoup themselves 
by thieving. After a good deal of hesitation he was 
persuaded to accompany me to the two Tangut tents 
near to which we had encamped. At first he was far 
from enamoured with the idea : and my Mohammedans 
too endeavoured to dissuade me from going. But 1 
failed to see what danger there could be, for 1 was 
going quite peaceably and unarmed to throw myself upon 
their hospitality. 
The two tents, both as black as the night, stood close 
together. We were met just in front of them by half- 
a-dozen ill-natured black dogs. Then a man came out 
and drove the dogs away, and after inquiring what we 
wanted, invited us to go inside his tent. Loppsen told 
him, 1 only wanted to see how the Tanguts lived. 1 
accordingly stepped inside, and took a seat beside the 
fire, where two women were engaged cooking tea, with 
Hour and butter, in a large pot. One of the two was 
our host’s young wife. She looked pleasant and sprightly, 
and was giving the breast to a noisy infant. All the 
time I was in the hut she never took her eyes off me. 
The other was a repulsive old woman, who had a girl 
I '43 
