A TWO MONTHS 5 TRIP INTO MONGOLIA. 
57 
to accept remuneration for their hospitality and offered to escort us 
over the Lamasery should we have time, but as it happened we were 
unable to do this during our short stay at Dolon-Nor. 
We devoted one day to the antelope. Taking three mounted men 
with us, we set out towards a place where a herd was reported to have 
been seen by the natives and espied them on a side of a hill, on 
examining which, we perceived a deep gully running from top to 
bottom. We therefore made a detour of some miles and, having left 
our attendants with our horses, climbed the opposite side of the hill 
and entered the gully. 
Creeping down this on hands and knees we contrived to get 
within 300 yards of some of the herd, who were still peacefully 
grazing, not having perceived us. T-—< was successful with his 
Westley Richards *303 in shooting a fine roe through the body. 
The remainder of the herd covered a few miles of ground with 
amazing rapidity. We brought iu this dead beast on a pony and fed 
on venison for some way on our return journey ! 
Another day we rode out with Colonel Hoong and a fairly large 
retinue to a spot 20 miles from Dolon-Nor, where there was a herd of 
some 800 or 900 ponies. The Colonel was anxious that we should take 
our pick of three from the herd as a present, but timeo Danos 
et dona ferentes. We accepted one, making a suitable present in 
return. What was well worth seeing was the skill with which the 
Mongols caught the ponies for our inspection. They do not use an 
ordinary lasso, but a very long pole with a loop of hide at the end; 
this they cast over the pony 5 s head and twist the pole rapidly till the 
pony finds it uncomfortable and pulls up ! We had only to designate 
one of the crowd and a couple of Mongols chased it out of the herd, 
turning it at sharp angles, the rider then gets behind the saddle, 
drops the loop and the trained pony pulls up suddenly ; round goes 
the pole and the frightened pony after a regular tug of war is captured. 
A race meeting is no novelty to the Mongols ; every year large races 
are held on the grass country, which I believe are largely attended by 
the Mongol kings and princes who still hold sway over these nomads. 
Consequently we were enabled to borrow flags to mark out a course 
which we chose about a mile from Dolon-Nor. 
On the day fixed for our races we rode out on our backs to this 
course, our other ponies and the mare being led out. About noon a large 
and motley crowd began to assemble, and what was curious about the 
spectators was the fact that nearly every man was mounted! It was 
indeed a strange sight; Chinese and Mongols in every description of 
coloured robes on ponies, mules, and even donkeys. 
Colonel Hoong arrived on a beautiful mule with a staff of attendants 
and a few Shanghai horse-dealers. 
We had brought one of our carts as “judge's box/ 5 and on this the 
judge stood. In spite of the contrast between the mare, who was in 
fine condition, and their shaggy coated ponies, the natives still thought 
that she would be beaten, and there were about ten entries for the first 
race against the “ big horse. 55 I have grave suspicions that Mr. 
8 
