Few of these Mongols possessed more than one wife, though, can a man afford it, there is nothing against his having two. Our friend Lobsan was of the latter class. A man is considered rich if he possesses a thousand sheep and from ten to fifteen ponies. A marriage amongst them is arranged in the following manner. The would-be husband sends a friend with a piece of white muslin called a "k'artag" to the father of the lady, who may either retain it or return it. Should the former be the case it shows that his suit is accepted, and the lover at once sends the father presents of money, wine, etc., and forthwith takes away his bride, and after much festivity she becomes his wife.
Upon the death of a Mongol, the body is laid out in the open plain for a few days, and a piece of cloth is placed inside the mouth. During this time birds and dogs enjoy an unrighteous repast upon the decaying flesh. When the feast is considered to be completed, friends of the dead body visit the corpse, and whatever bones are still remaining they smash up into small pieces and scatter to all quarters, so that every morsel is carried away, and nothing remains in the open plains. This accounted for our never finding any dead man's bones, though we did come across one or two skulls in good preservation. Tibetans have three different ways of disposing of their dead, the most usual being to place the corpse in a squatting position on a hilltop, and then push it over the edge, so that it finds its own last resting-place, and becomes food for the birds. Occasionally burning is resorted to, and very rarely, in the case of rich people, burial.
Throughout our stay with these people we always found them cheery, pleasant, and though naturally curious, still inoffensive. They could not quite grasp what I was up to when using a sextant in the middle of the day to take our latitude, but when they were told that I was only doing prayers, they withdrew.
On our third and last day on the banks of the Bayan Gol, all our arrangements had been completed. Sheep and other supplies had been bought for a good fortnight, and we had struck a bargain for our transport. Lobsan was to let us have five riding ponies and five baggage ponies, to take us as far as the town of Sining, in the province of Kansu, a few miles across the border. For this journey of 300 miles we were to pay him twenty rupees a pony, but as we had not sufficient money with us, for we had spent it nearly all, we were trusted by Lobsan to pay up the remainder at Sining. We believed that at that town we should come across some missionaries.
Our Mongols spent most of the last day praying, and as their priest had foretold that this was a propitious day to start on, and the one they had chosen was not, Lobsan came to us, saying that since such was the case they would like some of our things to load up and march a few hundred yards up the river, and come back again, so that they might be able to say they had started on a propitious day.
Early on the morning of the 1st of October we were ready to start, but the Mongols caused so many unaccountable delays, that it was 1 o'clock before we had actually moved off. The delay was caused chiefly by the Mongol lama, who came and prayed earnestly with the men who were to accompany us, and in order that fortune might favour their venture, incense was burnt and carried round the homes of the Mongols, and the ponies that were picked out for the journey. Our caravan consisted of Lobsan himself and three of his men, all mounted on ponies, and armed with two matchlocks and a spear of the extraordinary length of twenty-five feet. They, in addition to our ten ponies already mentioned, our flock of ten sheep, with the terrier Ruby, and our three mules, who marched unloaded, composed the party.
In spite of all the preparations and prayers that had been held, we moved off quite quietly, without any kind of demonstration, and, when once the loads had settled down, we covered ground at the rate of over three miles an hour, a great improvement on our accustomed pace. They were all stout ponies, and very fat, from the splendid grazing they enjoy, for no grain is allowed them.
As soon as we had reached a spot called Kanoo, where we were to halt for the night, the ponies were set free to graze, before being tied up close to us for the night without any covering. They were always let loose again with the first streak of daylight, so that they should not start on the march with empty stomachs. The Mongols always took care of their ponies, never losing an opportunity of relieving them of their loads and feeding them. They also used to change about: one day a pony would be ridden and the next he might be carrying a load.
The marches had to be regulated according to the water obtainable. On the third day, after going some six miles, we hit off the main road that runs from Barong to the Chinese border-town of Tankar, and whither we were bound. This track brought us to a clear-flowing rivulet, reminding us of a trout-stream at home.
Here we made a midday two hours' halt. When it was time to start again, we were astonished at the rapidity with which the Mongols reloaded their ponies. They were wonderfully quick and handy, very different from our original lot of Argoons from Leh. Their ponies were very tractable, although ridden with only a snaffle or merely a headstall; and without ever being shod, they stood the long marches we made well enough. They were always marched in one long string. One end of the rope was held in the hand of one of the mounted men, who led the way, and the other end passed through the headstall of each of the ponies in turn. This answers all right, but the animals can pick up no living as they march. As soon as we had travelled beyond the neighbourhood of the Bayan Gol, Lobsan and his men began to show their fears of the Bana tribes, for he was always begging us to march with our guns ready, nor to go ahead of, or loiter behind, the party. They themselves, during the greater part of the day, were praying aloud as they marched, relieving themselves sometimes by startling us with a loud, hearty song.