Across Mongolian Plains A Naturalist's Account of China's 'Great Northwest'

world. Peking, with its background of history made vividly real by its splendid walls

a delightful feeling of anticipation in returning to the c

e us. Even at two years the extraordinary facility with which he discovered frogs and bugs, which, quite

e visited Shantung, traveled straight across the Provinces of Honan an

offee, tea, sugar, butter and dried fruit, for these could be purchased in Urga only at prohibitive prices. Even then, with camel ch

ion details. We had seen him several times in Peking during the winter,

s Cornell football star whom I knew by reputation in my own college days. He was to take a complete De

as to drive the Delco car, and I had two Chinese taxider

f the best native collectors whom I have ever employed. The Coltmans and MacCallies were to stay only a few days

he forty miles to Hei-ma-hou on horseback while C

eir own power, but Coltman preferred the direct road and sent four mu

" was on the ocean coming as fast as steam could carry her to join me in Peking. I wondered if Fate's decree would bring us here together that we might both have, as a precious heritage for future years, the memories of t

the road. The sky was gray and cloud-hung, but by ten o'clock the sun burne

nge of green-the first sign of awakening at the touch of spring from the long winter sleep. Already caravans were astir, and we passed lines of laden camels now almost at the end of the long journey from Outer Mongolia, whither we were bound. But, instead of splen

yelling at the top of his lungs and belaboring the bony sides of his camel with feet and hands. The animal's ungainly legs swung like a windmill in every direction it seemed, except forward, and yet the Mongol managed to keep his rolli

uts which had been cut by the summer traffic of spike-wheeled carts. But the camels had almost finished their winter's work. In a few weeks the

ds. They were in the midst of the spring courting and seemed to have lost all fear. One pair remained beside the road until we were less than twenty feet away, stepping daintily aside only when we threatened to run them down. Another splendid male performed a love

hich we stopped for tiffin. When we had passed the last Chinese village and were well in the Mongolian grasslands we had great fun shooting gophers (Citellus mongolicus umbratus)

ere on the Mongolian plains. In half an hour he had installed wires in the tent and placed an arc lamp on the summit of a pole. It was an extraordinary experience to see the canvas walls about us, to hear the mournful wail of a lone wolf outside, and yet be able to turn the switch of an electric light

ld appear as though from out the earth itself. Perhaps they had been riding along some distant ridge far beyond the range of white men's eyes, or the roar of a motor had carried to their ears across the miles of plain; or perhaps it was that unknown sense

effect the blazing arc would have upon the Mongolian stoics. We could not believe that natives had not seen the light but probably they thought it was some spirit manifestati

d Urga. The Chinese government also had invaded the field and was sending automobiles regularly to the Mongolian capital as a branch service of the Peking-Suiyuan railroad. In the previous September we had passed half a dozen of their motors in cha

rs signaled me to return, for a fine antelope buck was standing only a few hundred yards from the road. The ground was as smooth and hard as an asphalt pavement and we skimmed along at forty miles an hour. When the animal had definitely made up its mind to cross in front of us, Charles gave the accelerator a real push and the car jumped to a speed of forty-eight miles. The antelope was doing his level best to "cro

of dust. It disappeared behind the hill crest and we expected to find it dead on the other side, but the slope was empty and even with our glasses we could not discover

n a one-man race. Fifteen minutes later, however, w

s "Journal" gives her i

n hand, ready to swing to the ground as soon as the car halted. Mr. Coltman, who was driving, had already thrown on the brakes, but Roy, thinking in his excitement that he had stopped, jumped-and jumped too soon. The speed at which we were going threw him violently to the ground. I hardly dared look to see what had happened but somehow he turned a complete somersault, landed on his knees, a

t atmosphere is one of the most bewildering things of the desert. Once we thought we saw an antelope grazing on the hillside and Mr. Coltman remarked disdainfully: 'Pooh, that's a horse.' But the laugh was on him for as we drew near the 'horse' proved to be only a bleached bone. At a shor

The Water Carri

A Thirty-five

ion: Young

antelope on the slope of a low hill, and when the ears carried us over the crest we

forthwith. Unfortunately, the gazelles were shedding their winter coats and the skins were useless exce

next day, and we ran over toward a herd of antelope which was just visible on the sky line. When each of us had killed an animal, the opinion

s." One of the antelope had a front leg broken just below the knee, and gave us a hard chase with the car going at thirty-five miles a

the evening sky. There was one buck among them and they seemed very nervous. When the men leaped out to shoot we were fully two hundred and fifty yards away, but at his third shot Mac dropped the buck. It was up again and off before the motor started in pursuit and, although running apart from the herd, it was only a short distance behind the others. Evidently the right foreleg was broken but with the car traveling at twenty-five miles an hour it was still drawing ahead. The going was not good and we ran for tw