Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume 139 June to November 1919 . of him,but he had failed to bring down an animal. The excitement of the chase had beenan excellent preparation for the hardwork which awaited us not far going had been getting heavierwith every mile and at last we reached along stretch of sandy road which thecars could not pull through. With everyone except the driver out of the car, andthe engine racing, we pushed and lifted,gaining a few feet each time, until theshifting sand was passed. It meant twohours of violent strain, and we werewell-nigh exhausted; in a few mil
Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume 139 June to November 1919 . of him,but he had failed to bring down an animal. The excitement of the chase had beenan excellent preparation for the hardwork which awaited us not far going had been getting heavierwith every mile and at last we reached along stretch of sandy road which thecars could not pull through. With everyone except the driver out of the car, andthe engine racing, we pushed and lifted,gaining a few feet each time, until theshifting sand was passed. It meant twohours of violent strain, and we werewell-nigh exhausted; in a few miles,however, it had all to be done the ground was hard, there wassuch a chaos of ruts and holes that ourarms were almost wrenched from theirsockets by the twisting wheels. Thisarea more nearly approaches a desertthan any other part of the road to soil is largely sandy but the Gobisage-brush, and short bunch grass, al-though sparse and dry, still give acovering of vegetation, so that in thedistance the plain appears like a A LAMA IN A RUSSIAN CARRIAGE WITH RUSSIAN DRIVER 12 HARPERS MONTHLY MAGAZINE Not far from Ude, the second tele-graph station, a Lama monastery hasbeen built beside the road. Its white-walled temple, bordered with red, andthe compound inclosing the living-quar-ters of the Lamas show with startlingdistinctness on the open plain. Westopped for water at a well a few hundredyards away and in five minutes the carswere surrounded by a picturesque groupof Lamas who streamed across the plainon foot and on horseback, with theiryellow and red robes flaming in the were amiable enough—in fact, toofriendly—-and their curiosity was hardlywelcome, for we found one of them test-ing his knife on the tires and anotherabout to punch a hole in one of thegasolene-cans; he hoped it was some-thing to drink that was better thanwater. The Lamas are a filthy and disgustinglot of men, but the ordinary northernMongol has a charming pers
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