Two weeks later they arrived in the neighbourhood of the ruins, nor was it long before the Professor had reason to congratulate himself that Twang Chun had proved so friendly.
CHAPTER XVII
A Chapter of Adventures
Snowflakes were whirling through the air on the morning after the arrival of the Professor's party in the neighbourhood of the half-buried Mongolian ruins which they had come to inspect. When David emerged from the tent and looked into the open, an icy blast made him shiver, while he smiled at seeing Alphonse, still in his shirt sleeves, dancing about to warm his toes, and snapping his fingers to bring the circulation to them.
'Parbleu! but we may expect cold weather now, Monsieur David,' he called out. 'The winter is on us, and I say that it will be well for us all when the excavations have been begun.'
'And why? How will that help us?'
'How! Ah, it is clear that you have not been on such an expedition before, monsieur, nor experienced a Chinese winter. It can freeze here almost as it does in the Arctic regions, while the winds come sweeping across these plains unbroken, and with a bite that searches every joint, and finds every crevice in the dwellings. Who knows? It may even be that the brave fellows who lodged amongst these ruins years ago were driven thence by the cold and exposure. But I was saying——'
'You were going to tell me why it will be a good thing for the party when excavations are begun, Alphonse.'
'Vraiment! Then this is why. A rabbit loves to burrow below ground, where he can defy the weather. Just so, we can also smile at the worst winds and the most violent snow-storms, once we have dug a hollow. You follow, monsieur? We shall have a shelter which nothing can break down, whereas a tent, what is it? What protection does it offer?'