COUNTRY OF THE TANGUTS 1147 
ordinary Mongol or Kirghiz tent. On the whole it 
resembled a low, truncated pyramid, the sides sloping 
inwards as they went up ; but the roof had the shape 
of a low irregular prism. A row of poles along the 
middle held up the tent-cloth, which was made of a coarse 
black linen, which the Tanguts weave themselves, a chink 
being left along the top for the smoke to escape. The 
tent-cloth was kept taut by means of ropes from the 
four corners and from the top of each of the sides, running 
over a cleft or fork in a pole, and fastened to stakes 
driven into the ground. The rain-water was carried away 
by a gutter dug all round the tent. In the middle 
of the tent was the fireplace, cleverly constructed of 
flat stones, placed slanting one against the other, 
with a hollow between for the cooking-pot ; there 
were also holes for the draught. The fuel, consisting of 
animals’ dung, was kept between two rows of similar 
stones. 
Along three of the sides stood rows of sacks, partly 
made of linen, partly of skin, and containing corn, flour, 
fat, and salt. These sacks also helped to shut out the 
draught and prevent it coming in under the folds of the 
tent-walls. The ragged carpets spread round the fire were 
littered with a multitude of things — such as furs, copper 
kettles, wooden bowls, teapots, Chinese porcelain bowls, 
square flour-boxes, bellows, saddles and bridles — all flung 
down in picturesque confusion. Several of their belong- 
ings, for example the swords, were made by the Tanguts 
themselves. The religious objects came from Lhasa, and 
some of the household articles from Si-ning-fu. 
November 5th. Raw cold weather, the sky covered 
with clouds, snow on the ground — quite a rare sight since 
we came down off the Tibetan plateau. In the morning 
ten Tanguts came to the camp, each armed with a straight, 
sharp sword, and dressed in vari-coloured blue and red 
costumes, with bag-caps, which gave them a certain 
resemblance to soldiers. They brought us two or three 
cans of milk, and wanted to sell some horses. But the 
price they asked was far too high, and so we did no 
