The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-09

havior of our guides l could not but ad-
mire their splendid skill and endurance,
| for with the agility of mountain goats
| they leaped over distractions and ran at
| a speed that soon brought them ahead of
the foremost animals. Never diminishing
| this speed, each would seize the end of
| noosed rope. and bearing down on the
numbering group. twist it dexterously
around the neck of an animal. and although
dragged over the rough ground for several
hundred feet, bring the unruly beast TO
| halt Four or five yaks were soon cap
| tured in this way, but the last one. an
| old and wary beast, managed TO escape
| the line of Tanguts, and turning at right
| angles managed TO run a distance of sew
| eral miles before they were able 10 COM
| bine their forces and by a tedious stalk
secure il in a similar manner. In all my
| life 1 never saw anything to equal this
| test of physical endurance. For nearly
| three hours they had maintained a chase
| at top speed over a treacherous country,
| where even walking might be counted
| hardship. yet when they returned with
| the captured animals they were hardly
| breathing faster than the normal, and
manifested no signs of distress or fatigue.
South of Odon Boulak the road divides
| into three branches, two extending in a
general southerly direction, broad and with
| few distractions. the other DETECTING d.
| rectly to the north and leading to the viii
| lage ITSELF forming narrow path across
| a stony plain, intersected by numerous
| shallow, salty streams and lakelike ex-
| panses, with fresh water springs and gras-
| sy camping ground nearer the lake. The
entire distance from Gajum we had been
| passing through a sparsely settled country,
| but here the evidences of human habita-
| ton were more numerous. Very few tent
| jewellers were met with, and these most
| ly inhabitants of settled villages who were
| temporarily engaged in tending their
| herds, or traders. The presence of so many
| salt oozes and streams in the immediate
| vicinity renders the gathering of this
product an important industry. The meth
| cd of preparing it consists in boiling and
repeatedly straining the water until
| strong brine has been formed, this in turn
| is poured over the fiinty ground and the
heat of the sun completes the crystalliz-
| ing process. The process is a tedious one,
and the crystals are large and very i'm
| pure, but exported to China and the
larger cities of Thibet it provides the ma
| tive population with an important means
| of livelihood.
A FRIENDLY GREETING.
| The delay caused by the escape of the
| yaks did not permit a start before noon
| time, and although we urged them to their
| best endeavors during the afternoon it was
not until o'clock that the gloomy walls OF
| Odon Boulak shot up from across the plain.
| AS we had no knowledge of the character
| Of its Inhabitants, and fearful that in the
| darkness they might misconstrue our ad-
| vance in the light of a hostile attack, we
| halted in the valley a mile to the south,
| prepared to enter in the morning The
tents had scarcely been pitched when we
| deserted a number of horsemen, some
| thirty or forty, issuing from the village
and galloping in our direction. From dis
| lance we could the pronged rests of
their matchlocks sihouetted against the
| clear sky, and quarter of an hour later,
after hating several hundred yards away,
| as if fearful to approach nearer, they en-
tered our camp and Immediately gave no.
tice that they were not disposed to remain
| injurious, even on such an august occasion
as the present, by overhauling our packs
| Notwithstanding our vigorous remon-
| strances, disarming resentment by broad
grins and delighted holdings of the head
accompanied by the curious swapping oil
the fingers which we had seen throughout
western China and Thibet, the exact mean
ing of which we could never ascertain
excepting that it provided an outlet fol
tense nervous energy, the movement seem
ing TO be totally unconscious.
| Their good humor and the evident sin
cerity of their welcome banished wha
doubts we had entertained as to the peace
abeness of their nature, and on questioning
them concerning their village they replied
in soft and courteous tones, with a peculiar
hesitancy of diction, evidently for oul
benefit as in their personal talk their In
tonation was very rapid and slurring.
They remained with us during the night
and taking up a position in the van wher
| we resumed the march in the morning oul
entry into the village itself was of an i'm
| posing character. There could be no mis-
taking the character of our welcome. the
| procession winding through a wildly ges
| ticulating crowd Of natives blowing OF
horns and shouting at the top of thei
lungs, the higher and lower notes of tn
strange melody being carried on by th'
| mournful mutations of uncondtione,
| pack of ours and the hoarse believing O.
the yaks who had added their voices t.
the occasion lest, in the general clamor
they should be lost sight of.
A QUEER COMBINATION.
At this village we found the strange
| anomaly of three distinct and widely differ
ing races existing in undisturbed harmony
AS near as we could judge the population
| numbered several hundred, of which lit
tie over half were Mongols, the remaindel
Tanguts and typical Thibetans abou. equal
" divided, and a few Chinese. who, how
| ever. were not permanent residents, bu
merely traders passing through the coun
try. These last were Unfortunately curiou!
| concerning the reasons for our presence II
| the district, and evidently considered vi
liz the light of rival traders. for. after sub
hitting us TO an inquisitorial torture o
several hours duration, they retired will
sinister grin on their suave and PREACHER
Gus faces which showed evident disbelie
in the sincerity of our replies They were
as we Immediately discovered, lying ans
Infamous crew; proceeding TO the dwelling
of the head man of the village they regalc,
that worthy with such alarming ARA!
OF facts concerning the baleful influence o
our further presence IN the village that hi
suspicious were at once aroused. He wa
a gray-headed. thin-visaged old man of at
tenuated frame; naturally he was anna bi
and pleasantly disposed, but on arriving
before use he had cloaked himself with
saveritv IF dignity nrO