At our revolvers, when we fired off six shots without reloading, they were thoroughly filled with bewilderment, and standing up a slab of caked mud some twenty paces off as a target, they signed for me to try my skill upon it. Six successful holes redoubled their astonishment, and proved to them how easy it was for us to travel through districts which were considered dangerous, although we were so few. One of the more influential Mongols, seizing my unloaded revolver in an agitated and warlike fashion, snapped off the trigger six times in different directions, each time shouting out the word "Bana!" while all around laughed and acquiesced in the meaning of this man's frantic gestures.
It appeared that in order to reach China we should have to pass through a district inhabited by the Bana tribes, who are noted for their predatory habits.
MONGOL LADIES ON THE BAYAN GOL.
They are represented on the map by the name "Bana-khasum," "sum," meaning three—that is to say, there are three of these Bana tribes, who live round and about the regions of the Koko Nor Lake. These three tribes are again subdivided into eighteen small tribes, each with a separate chief, the whole being under the Sining Amban or Tsongt'u. It is on account of these and other tribes that merchants are afraid to traverse the country singly, and the reason why these Tsokpo Mongols so seldom make the journey to the Chinese frontier. It was fear of these Bana tribes that caused us so much delay before we could induce them to fit us out with sufficient ponies and accompany us over our last few hundred miles. The Bana men have been known to come even as far as Barong itself on a raid, and being better armed and more numerous than the Tsokpo Mongols, these latter live in no slight dread of going near their warlike neighbours.
CHAPTER XXI.
WITH THE MONGOLS—A HOSPITABLE OLD LADY—ON THE WAY TO TANKAR—A POISONOUS STREAM—BANA TENTS—I ABSTRACT AN INSCRIBED BONE—OUR COLDEST NIGHT—A WONDERFUL PLACE—KANJUR RUNGYUM.
It was arranged that on the following morning we should move on a two days' journey to Lobsan's tents, which were situated on the banks of the River Bayan Gol, where plans could be better formed for completing this last portion of our journey. We almost wished we had gone off to Barong, which lay a few miles south of us. The Tibetan merchants had told us that we should be able to hire camels there; but then, again, the Mongols assured us that although we might be able to hire camels, it was quite certain that the owners would not venture across the Bana country with so small a party, and that we should have to await the arrival of the Tibetan merchants, which would cause two or three weeks' delay, and perhaps more, but that if we did not mind that we had better go to Barong. We decided that our best plan was to stick to our Mongols, who thus far had treated us so well, and who, we felt sure, would eventually agree to take us to China.
Our first day lay through a land of thick hermok bushes and grass, including a sandy plain, the whole party being mounted on stout ponies. Towards evening we halted by a spring in a small grassy plain. Here we found other Mongols, and it was evident that this spot, called Ootoo, was a regular camping ground.