A TWO MONTHS' TRIP INTO MONGOLIA. 
53 
the mare and the bull terrier. We left next day and proceeded up a 
road through a gorge resembling the moraine of a glacier, terribly bad 
travelling, but we were surrounded at the summit by the finest view I 
have ever seen. 
From this height of some 4,000 feet we looked back over plains and 
rocky hills, which extend for over 1,000 miles, a view of giand 
desolation owing to the prevalence of rocks and absence of trees. To 
right and left stretched the real great wall of China, of which the 
towers are the only recognisable features. These exist at regular 
intervals in the chain, loopholed and in fair preservation. 
A line of watch towers extends back to the inner wall following the 
route by which we had come. On these, in former days, fires were lit 
by the Chinese to give notice of the coming of the Mongol hordes from 
the north. 
The temperature was not much lower, and the soil became more 
grassy. 
That night the thermometer dropped to 32° F. and when we arose 
next morning it was bitterly cold and a layer of ice covered the pools 
left by recent rain. A cold biting wind blew across the plain and we 
were glad of our sheep-skins. 
We reached Shibartai at mid-day and here the true grass country 
really begins. 
As far as we could see there was nothing but grass; undulating 
hills rather like the downs in the south of England, perfect for riding 
in every direction. 
We had now left the regular camel route to Urga, by which the tea 
is taken to Russia, and were following a wheel track in a north¬ 
easterly direction, leadiug to Dolon-Nor or Lama-miao, as the Chinese 
call it. 
As a rule, in the day-time it was warm, and the glare from the grass 
at this altitude is painful to the eyes, necessitating the use of blue 
spectacles. 
The second day on the grass two wolves crossed our path, but we 
had not our rifles handy and they stole away unhurt. As regards 
game in this country, we shot hare, teal, snipe, duck, partridge and 
plover, but as we were pressed for time we never left our road except 
to engage in futile attempts to stalk “ Wongyhang,” a species of 
antelope, which wander in large herds over the grass country, but are 
almost impossible to approach owing to the absence of cover. 
On the third day we passed through part of the country which was 
entirely plough land on which very fine oat crops are raised. 
This oat is peculiar in that it has practically no husk, or rather the 
grain is very easily removed. The horses once used to them seem 
very fond of these oats and the absence of husk saves the natives much 
trouble when grinding the grain, the flour making very fair bread. 
On this land there were huge numbers of some kind of bustard, but 
they would not let us approach close enough to use a shot gun, and we 
had to content ourselves with long rifle shots. Had we time for 
systematic shooting, I think we could have crept up disguised as 
