In south China, Reverend H. Castle of Tunglu, and Reverend Lacy Moffet planned a delightful hunting trip for us in Che-kiang Province.
In Shanghai the Hon. E. S. Cunningham, American Consul-General, materially aided the expedition in the shipment of specimens. To Mr. G. M. Jackson, General Passenger Agent of the Canadian Pacific Ocean Services, thanks are due for arranging for rapid transportation to America of our valuable collections.
Roy Chapman Andrews
American Museum of
Natural History,
New York City, U. S. A.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
Preface | [vii] |
| INTRODUCTION | |
Early conquests of the Mongols—Why their power was lost—Independence of Outer Mongolia—China's opportunity to obtain her former power in Mongolia—General Hsu Shu-tseng—Memorial to President of China—Cancellation of Outer Mongolia's autonomy | [xix] |
| CHAPTER I ENTERING THE LAND OF MYSTERY | |
Arrival in Kalgan—The Hutukhtu's motor car—Start for the great plateau—Camel caravans—The pass—A motor car on the Mongolian plains—Start from Hei-ma-hou—Chinese cultivation—The Mongol not a farmer—The grasslands of Inner Mongolia—The first Mongol village—Construction of a yurt—Bird life—The telegraph line | [1] |
| CHAPTER II SPEED MARVELS OF THE GOBI DESERT | |
Wells in the desert—Panj-kiang—A lama monastery—A great herd of antelope—A wild chase—Long range shooting—Amazing speed—An exhibition of high-class running—Difficulties in traveling—Description of the northern Mongols—Love of sport—Ude—Bustards—Great monastery at Turin—The rolling plains of Outer Mongolia—Urga during the World War | [13] |
| CHAPTER III A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS | |
Return trip—The "agony box"—The first accident—My Czech and Cossack passengers—The "agony box" breaks a wheel—A dry camp—More motor trouble—Meeting with Langdon Warner—Our game of hide-and-seek in the Orient—An accident near Panj-kiang—We use mutton fat for oil—Arrival at Hei-ma-hou—A wet ride to Kalgan—Trouble at the gate | [27] |
| CHAPTER IV NEW TRAVELS ON AN OLD TRAIL | |
Winter in Peking—We leave for Mongolia—Inner Mongolia in spring—Race with a camel—Geese and cranes—Gophers—An electric light in the desert—Chinese motor companies—An antelope buck—A great herd—Brilliant atmosphere of Mongolia—Notes on antelope speed | [38] |
| CHAPTER V ANTELOPE MOVIE STARS | |
Moving pictures under difficulties—A lost opportunity—A zoölogical garden in the desert—Killing a wolf—Speed of a wolf—Antelope steak and parfum de chameau—A caravan—A wild wolf-hunt—Sulphuric acid—The Turin Plains | [50] |
| CHAPTER VI THE SACRED CITY OF THE LIVING BUDDHA | |
A city of contrasts—The Chinese quarter like frontier America—A hamlet of modern Russia—An indescribable mixture of Mongolia, Russia and China in West Urga—Description of a Mongol woman—Urga like a pageant on the stage of a theater—The sacred mountain—The palace of the "Living God"—Love for western inventions—A strange scene at the Hutukhtu's palace—A bed for the Living Buddha—Lamaism—The Lama City—Ceremony in the temple—Prayer wheels—Burial customs—Corpses eaten by dogs—The dogs of Mongolia—Cleanliness—Food—Morality—"H. C. L." in Urga—A horrible prison—Mr. F. A. Larsen | [62] |
CHAPTER VII | |
Beginning work—Carts—Ponies—Our interpreter—Mongol tent—Native clothes best for work—Supplies—How to keep "fit" in the field—Accidents—Sain Noin Khan—The first day—A night in a yurt—Cranes—We trade horses—Horse stealing—No mammals—Birds—Breaking a cart horse—Mongol ponies | [84] |
| CHAPTER VIII THE LURE OF THE PLAINS | |
Trapping marmots—Skins valuable as furs—Native methods of hunting—A marmot dance—Habits—The first hunting-camp—Our Mongol neighbors—After antelope on horseback—The first buck—A polecat—The second day's hunt—The vastness of the plains—Development of a "land sense"—Another antelope | [99] |
| CHAPTER IX HUNTING ON THE TURIN PLAINS | |
Mongol hospitality—Camping on the Turin Plains—An enormous herd of antelope—A wonderful ride—Three gazelle—A dry camp—My pony, Kublai Khan—Plains life about a well—Antelope babies—A wonderful provision of nature—Habits—Species in Mongolia—The "goitre"—Speed—Work in camp—Small mammals | [116] |
| CHAPTER X AN ADVENTURE IN THE LAMA CITY | |
An unexpected meeting with a river—Our new camp in Urga—"God's Brother's House"—Photographing in the Lama City—A critical moment—Help from Mr. Olufsen—The motion picture camera an instrument of magic—Floods in Urga—Duke Loobitsan Yangsen—The Duchess—Vegetables in Urga | [133] |
CHAPTER XI | |
The forests of Mongolia—A bad day's work—The Terelche River—Tserin Dorchy's family—A wild-wood romance—Evening in the valley—Doctoring the natives—A clever lama—A popular magazine—Return of Tserin Dorchy—Independence—His hunt on the Sacred Mountain—Punishment—Hunting with the Mongols—Tsamba and "buttered tea"—A splendid roebuck—The fortune of a naturalist—Eating the deer's viscera—The field meet of the Terelche Valley—Horse races—Wrestling | [143] |
| CHAPTER XII NOMADS OF THE FOREST | |
An ideal camp—The first wapiti—A roebuck—Currants and berries—Catching fish—Enormous trout—A rainy day in camp—A wapiti seen from camp—Mongolian weather—Flowers—Beautiful country—A musk deer—Habits and commercial value—A wild boar—Success and failure in hunting—We kill two wapiti—Return to Urga—Mr. and Mrs. MacCallie—Packing the collections—Across the plains to Peking | [161] |
| CHAPTER XIII THE PASSING OF MONGOLIAN MYSTERY | |
Importance of Far East—Desert, plain, and water in Mongolia—The Gobi Desert—Agriculture—Pastoral products—Treatment of wool and camel hair—Marmots as a valuable asset—Urga a growing fur market—Chinese merchants—Labor—Gold mines—Transportation—Motor trucks—Passenger motor service—Forests—Aëroplanes—Wireless telegraph | [175] |
| CHAPTER XIV THE GREAT RAM OF THE SHANSI MOUNTAINS | |
Brigands, Chinese soldiers and "battles"—The Mongolian sheep—Harry Caldwell—Difference between North and South China—The "dust age" in China—Inns—Brigand scouts—The Tai Hai Lake—Splendid shooting—The sheep mountains—An awe-inspiring gorge—An introduction to the argali—Caldwell's big ram—A herd of sheep—My first ram—A second sheep—The end of a perfect day | [184] |
| CHAPTER XV MONGOLIAN "ARGALI" | |
A long climb—Roebuck—An unsuspecting ram—My Mongol hunter—Donkeys instead of sheep—Two fine rams—The big one lost—A lecture on hunting—A night walk in the cañon—Commander Hutchins and Major Barker—Tom and I get a ram—The end of the sheep hunt | [205] |
| CHAPTER XVI THE HORSE-DEER OF SHANSI | |
Wu-Tai-Hai—The "American Legation"—Interior of a North Shansi house—North China villages—The people—"Horse-deer"—The names "wapiti" and "elk"—A great gorge—A rock temple—The hunting grounds furnish a surprise—A huge bull wapiti | [219] |
| CHAPTER XVII WAPITI, ROEBUCK AND GORAL | |
Our camp in a new village—Game at our door—Concentration of animal life—Chinese roebuck—A splendid hunt—Goral—Difficult climbing—"Hide and seek" with a goral—The second wapiti—A happy ending to a cold day | [230] |
| CHAPTER XVIII WILD PIGS ANIMAL AND HUMAN | |
Shansi Province famous for wild boar—Flesh delicious—When to hunt—Where to go—Inns and coal gas—Kao-chia-chuang—A long shot—Our camp at Tziloa—Native hunters—A young pig—A hard chase—Pheasants—Another pig—Smith runs down a big sow—Chinese steal our game—A wounded boar | [241] |
| CHAPTER XIX THE HUNTING PARK OF THE EASTERN TOMBS | |
A visit to Duke Tsai Tse—A "personality"—The Tung Ling—The road to the tombs—A country inn—The front view of the Tung Ling—The tombs of the Empress Dowager and Ch'ien Lung—The "hinterland"—An area of desolation—Our camp in the forest—Reeves's pheasant—The most beautiful Chinese deer—"Blood horns" as medicine—Goral—Animals and birds of the Tung Ling—A new method of catching trout—A forest fire—Native stupidity—Wanton destruction—China's great opportunity | [256] |
Index | [271] |
ILLUSTRATIONS
| FACING PAGE | |
| A Nomad of the Mongolian Plains [Frontispiece] | |
| Roy Chapman Andrews on "Kublai Khan" | [8] |
| Yvette Borup Andrews, Photographer of the Expedition | [9] |
| At the End of the Long Trail from Outer Mongolia | [20] |
| Women of Southern Mongolia | [21] |
| The Middle Ages and the Twentieth Century | [34] |
| A Mongolian Antelope Killed from Our Motor Car | [35] |
| Watering Camels at a Well in the Gobi Desert | [35] |
| The Water Carrier for a Caravan | [46] |
| A Thirty-five Pound Bustard | [47] |
| Young Mongolia | [47] |
| Mongol Horsemen on the Streets of Urga | [60] |
| The Prison at Urga | [61] |
| A Criminal in a Coffin with Hands Manacled | [61] |
| The Great Temple at Urga | [72] |
| A Prayer Wheel and a Mongol Lama" | [72] |
| Lamas Calling the Gods at a Temple in Urga | [73] |
| Mongol Praying at a Shrine in Urga | [73] |
| Mongol Women Beside a Yurt | [82] |
| The Headdress of a Mongol Married Woman | [82] |
| The Framework of a Yurt | [83] |
| Mongol Women and a Lama" | [83] |
| The Traffic Policeman on Urga's "Broadway" | [98] |
| A Mongol Lama | [98] |
| The Grasslands of Outer Mongolia | [99] |
| Mongol Herdsmen Carrying Lassos | [116] |
| A Lone Camp on the Desert | [117] |
| Tibetan Yaks | [184] |
| Our Caravan Crossing the Terelche River | [135] |
| Our Base Camp at the Edge of the Forest | [148] |
| The Mongol Village of the Terelche Valley | [149] |
| Wrestlers at Terelche Valley Field Meet | [164] |
| Women Spectators at the Field Meet | [165] |
| Cave Dwellings in North Shansi Province | [184] |
| An Asiatic Wapiti | [185] |
| Harry R. Caldwell and a Mongolian Bighorn | [185] |
| Where the Bighorn Sheep Are Found | [216] |
| A Mongolian Roebuck | [217] |
| The Head of the Record Ram | [224] |
| Map of Mongolia and China, Showing Route of Second Asiatic Expedition in Broken Lines | [225] |
INTRODUCTION
The romantic story of the Mongols and their achievements has been written so completely that it is unnecessary to repeat it here even though it is as fascinating as a tale from the Arabian Nights. The present status of the country, however, is but little known to the western world. In a few words I will endeavor to sketch the recent political developments, some of which occurred while we were in Mongolia.