The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-03-07

| prayer flags dropping In the still air.
the road led, striking suddenly trail
that emerged onto a small plateau.
The sheer thrill Of that little plateau,
like sharp upturning Chinese mir
rorl At the foot Of the ascent lay
bethlehem village. The mellow after.
noon sunshine reflected In a small
pool-the whole study In quietude.
And beyond, rushing swiftly away to
the North, our Promised Land, the
great Mongolian plain.
To the Top Of the World.
The ascent of the next morning was
delayed by the appearance Of a cara.
van Of two-wheeled ox-carts piled with
wool. there where the pass notched
the sky. But 1t was worth the de-
lay. Whatever else slips from me
through memory's net, 1t will not be
those carts, for one supreme moment
dominating the world. and then, like
| all things mortal, each losing the su.
| preme moment at the crest Of things
and plunging down the pass. lost in
the dust below, while we ourselves
took the uptrail to the top of the
world.
The top Of the world! Beyond q
vision Of sky and plain, magnificent
open country rushing away gloriously
to the horizon and beyond. That is
the feel Of Mongolla-beyond; vast.
silent beyond, Something of desert
beauty lay In Its unbroken spaces,
peace and healing and desert inscrut.
ability. It was Of the desert and yet
It was not desert. Its tawny mono.
chrome was tinged with green, soft.
ened by short, sparse grass through
which a summer wind rustled. invit.
Ing one to pleasant wanderings.
The Tent DweIIers.
| We were now well up in fresh, un.
trammeled land. There were no fields,
no houses, no villages, only an occas
sional encampment Of black Mongol
tents with its guard Of dogs. True
nomad's land.
The black Mongol tents are made Of
layers of felt stretched on a collapsi.
BILE wicket Of wood about four feet
high, from which spokes Of wood ex.
tend to meet above at the top, the
whole corded with stout ropes. There
are no windows end the entrance con-
slsts Of one low door. Against the
walls Of the tent stand bright chests
Of clothing. brass cooking vessels.
rows of cheeses, barrel of intoxi-
cant made from sour milk. and a small
Buddhist shrine. Felt and fur rugs
cover the earth floor and the low dais
at the back which adds Turkish look.
On center brazier tea SINNERS from
morning till night, tea drunk copious-
ly with butter and salt and handful
of millet. The whole is overhung with
an indescrbable odor, Siberian but
more so skins, cheese, smoke, horses,
dogs, sheep. cows, tobacco, sour milk,
incense to the gods and unwashed hu-
manity, q combination into which the
odors OF Cairo might be carried as a
perfume.
The Mongol mother prepares the
family meal In pot on the brazier or
scws cloth shoes with a long needle
In one of the tents a wedding was In
prospect-a wedding which consists OF
the bridegroom's dashing up with a
group of friends on the swiftest horses
obtainable and carrying of the bride
before dawn-and in the corner of the
tent sat Chinese silversmith ham,
merlng out the barbarically beautiful
headdress that forms every brides
dowry. One Mongol woman pointed
out to me three beads In her dowry
which she said cost horse each. The
men also have an inside occupation
smoking and taking SNUFF. One tent
sufiices for family, unless 1t be rich
one, and on cold nights 1t shelters all
the calves and lambs, 'little brothers
of the field"
The Mongol Is darker In color than
his Chinese neighbor, high-cheeked
squat, weather-beaten, almost protea
tive In coloring. Rarely, II ever. on q
Mongol face is seen that fine intelli
gence which stamps the Chinese; the
fact that he has produced no arts, nc
crafts, that he is a worker In no me
expression. As Buddhist, he refus
es TO till the soil lest he take life-kil'
beetle, for instance. Sheep he may
kill, however, since that may be accom-,
plished without Buddha's cognlzance
back Of the tent. Flocks have another
advantage, too over fields; flocks hS
may carry with him. And the Mongo
knows no shades OF prison house
Give a Mongol a sheep and horse
and he will feed, clothe, house himself
and roam the plain. Add COW ant
he can get drunk. Life has nothing
more to offer.