49 
A TWO 
f ^aR 1 1897. S 
\v s> L r , T ;^t>* 
MONTHS’ %'ftT P INTO 
MONGOLIA. 
LIEUTENANT C. N. BUZZARD, R.A. 
The craze for pony racing in the sea ports of China causes a fairly large 
trade in horse flesh in that country. The ponies are brought down 
from the plains of Mongolia via Peking to Tientsin and thence to 
Shanghai, Amoy, Foochow, Hong Kong and other places where 
sufficient Europeans reside to organize a race meeting. With the 
exception of some usually indifferent horses obtained from the Eli 
district, anything over 14 hands is practically unknown to the Mongols 
and Northern Chinese, and these people were, till last year, under the 
impression that their steeds were the fastest in the world. 
Being lucky enough to obtain occasionally a couple of months rest 
from our arduous duties in Hong Kong, T- and I decided in 
July last to travel north of Peking with an Australian mare to convert 
the Mongols and also to explore the country and shoot. 
Our route consisted of a three-days* journey by P. and 0. steamer to 
Shanghai and thence by local steamer four days to Tientsin. Leaving 
Tientsin, we were to travel three days by road and river to Peking and, 
from the capital, about 250 miles, by road or track to Dolon-Nor in 
Mongolia. 
The mare, which T-had obtained from Singapore, was sent on 
to Tientsin by steamer a week or two ahead of us, and on Sunday the 
25.th August we embarked at Hong Kong with somewhat heavy 
luggage consisting of saddlery, guns, ammunition and supplies. 
Things went smoothly enough until we arrived at Chefu, where we 
were unfortunate enough to lose some useful baggage. We had 
brought with us some polo sticks, riding whips, a hunting spear, etc., 
in a bundle, which we had omitted to label, and the Chinese head 
steward sent these ashore with one of the passengers, an extremely 
devout missionary in Chinese dress, with head shaved in front and pig¬ 
tail complete thinking, I suppose, that this gentleman was about to 
institute a clerical polo team ! 
The river of Taku was not sufficiently deep to allow of our steamer 
proceeding to Tientsin, so we were obliged to go by train. 
This railway, I believe the only one in China, runs through 40 miles 
2. vol: xxiv, 7 
