The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-25
Ability to Spin n Yarn Well Gives a
Man Rank Among Barbarians
as Well as Elsewhere.
THEIR STRANGE BURIAL RITES
SLAVERY PRACTICED, BUT is NOT
ALTOGETHER A CRUEL CUSTOM.
Entrance Into the COuntry of the Saw
age GOIoks Calls for Especial
Care and Watchfulness.

I"Among the Farthest People" Copyright, by
". c. j. Reid.l
Before reaching Ta-Kou we travelled
through an extremely populous district;
small e-ncampments of BLACK tents were
so numerous that our approach to the viii
lage resolved itself into a triumphal pro-
cession through unbroken lines of wildly
demonstrative and inquisitive savages, who
were so eager in their curiosity and so We
hement in their innumerable questions of
childlike simplicity that, after running this
gauntlet, we felt as If we had but just
passed through a lane of animated inter
rogation points.
Ta-Kou, though a very small village, is
one of some Importance, as il lies at the
junction of several important roads from
the south, which here merge into a main
caravan road and cross the Ma-Chu at a
practicable ford several miles above the
Houkou-Ousson and thence lead over sew
eral low ranges of the Tche-Ula to the
large villages of southern Koko-Nor, and,
as we learned from native sources, con-
tinues as far as Shang in the Ts'aidam.
Therefore it's population was truly cosmo-
%politan, Mongols, Thibetans. Tanguts and
several Chinese traders living together in
the most friendly harmony and accord,
while, greatly to our surprise, a number OF
fierce-looking Golok warriors had pitched
their tents but n short distance from the
walls of the village. and although 1t was
plainly to be seen that they were on far
from amiable terms with their more civil
lied neighbors, their general bold and true
ulent appearance saved them from further
molestation than threatening scowls and
furtive threats.
M'dewe, the head man of Ta-Kou, was a
valorous looking young Mongol, and we
Immediately discovered that the exalted
character which had been given him by
our host at Ma-Jung had been In no wise
exaggerated. He was a mere boy in years.,
but quiet and self-possessed, and his peo-
pie obeyed him with an alacrity and cheer
full willingness which showed that he en-
loved their affection as well as their re-
spect. We found him TO be a genial and
spirited host. and very obliginS, while II
was not "A little comforting to have his as
surance that we need have no fear in trav-
cling through the Golok country. as at this
time of the year the larger e-ncampments
had moved into the mountains TO the
south. and the ~disjointed bands whom we
should meet would be too small and pow
erless to cause us annoyance. With all our
journey through the country he was well
acquainted and at a great and ceremonious
meeting in the afternoon he insisted that
we should tell our story in order that his
subchiefs and men might hear how great
was the power of the great white mems
land" Whereupon Burton, taking upon
himself the role of ''story-teller in ordi-
nary gave a voluminous discourse on the
wonders of Western civilization that
caused even the worthy M'dewe, in spite
of his efforts TO maintain a forced bore
dom. to open his eyes in wondering aston
ishment.
Story telling. In fact. is one of the
Mongors chief delights. Their folk lore
is large and varied, and the average native
is never so happy as when, well supplied
with food and liquor, tobacco for his pipe
and embarrassed for the time being with
this worlds cares, he can gather around
his domestic hearth similar convivial
spirits and while away the long hours in
the pleasurable business of romancing on
every conceivable variety of subject, rang
ing from deities, supernatural wonders and
marvellous hunting and fighting exploits
down TO the most trivial Incidents. His
idea of humor Is, to be sure, somewhat
vaguely grim and uncertain, and he does
not frequently indulge in it, but many of
these narratives, however, are not with
out a certain charm even TO civilized ears,
especially when droned forth by some fam
tastic looking Strephon in the uncertain
glow of the fire and amidst the tense in
terest of the surrounding group of listen
ers. The citation of the two following
anecdotes will serve to give an idea of the
character and originality of the majority
of these narratives, some of which are
extemporized, although those here given
we learned from the head man were time
tried and exceedingly popular favorites.
TWO MONGOLIAN FABLES.
ION one occasion a yak and a flea met in
the mountains, when ensued a discussion
as to their respective merits. The yak,
angered at the presumption of his smaller
antagonist in daring 10 consider himself
equal in physical and mental attachments.
said: Little mite, no bigger than the
grain of dust that lies on my skin, how can
you compare yourself with me. who am
lord of all the animals, whose tread is so
heavy that wher L walk the very noun
tains tremble and whom no beast of earth
or sky dare oppose!' True replied his
small antagonist, what YOU say is true:
you are large i'm frame but you succumb TO
man, Wnle, small as 4 am, L care his
might and power At this the yak was
more furious than ever and seeing that he
could not gain the mastery by words. he
| suggested that they should put proof to
the test. To this the flea agreed and after
wandering over the plain for some days
they came upon a tent In which a single
hunter lived. Thereupon the yak. below
ing fercely and stamping his great hoofs,
sought to bring fear to the heart of the
| man. but the latter seized q spear and at
tackled with such fury that the great beast.
sorely wounded, was fain TO run away.
Still the man pursued and the yak would
inevitably have been killed but that at this
moment the flea descended from the sky
| aud fastening himself into the hunters
skin tortured him SO painfully that he was
obliged 10 stop TO attend TO this small
enemy and not being able to find him. and
still being fercely bitten. he forgot about
yak and all and ran away. The yak. CRATE
full for his escape and humbled i'm shirt
thereupon declared the flea king of the
animal world. a compact that has been
kept ever since b. their descendants 10 the
common modification of the body and
| spirit of man, their natural nemy.
There once lived a powerful chief whose