There were two tents, as we discovered later, 12 men, two dogs and more than 70 camels. They were Mohammedans, natives of Huangchich'iao, north of Ninghsia, and they were on their way from Teng-kou, a village in Mongolia on the Yellow River, to Hsining, my own destination. As soon as I realized that I had reached a camel encampment I called and they came tumbling out, putting on their furs as they came, welcomed us heartily, had_ the camels down and relieved of their burdens in a twinkling, and while three or four busied themselves putting up my tent, the rest ushered us to their fire place, poured us tea and set about making us a mess of mutton and noodles with great dexterity and skill and, as I took pains to point out to Dusty, without table, board or rolling pin. The food which they fi ally served was only the ordinary rough diet of the camel-driver, but this building is not large enough after Dusty's coe fag, it seemed a banquet and I 80 relieved to have fallen in at last with a party of real authorities on desert trails and the routine of life in the sert that I relaxed and slept that night for ten uninterrupted hours.
The caravan which I had come upon travelled at night, starting about an hour before sunset and arriving generally shortly after midnight at the next waterbole, so the next day we had many hours of daylight in which to repair our kit, look about us and rest. With the help of experienced hands the tent was repaired and put in such shape it bore some semblance to a real habitation. The camels had their backs and their pads mined for bruises and the pack dies were given a thorough o hauling. Dusty strutted about. and lied impudently about his: ments, but it is very difficult to lie about camels to a group of 1 who spend their whole lives tr velling with them in winter a grazing them on the Mongol gras lands in summer, so it was not long before I noticed them whisp: in little groups, looking con! tously at Dusty and eyeing me with commiseration. Finally two of them, elderly men done many layers of sheepskin, asked me it I would mind if they undid the ropes on my boxes and_ re-roped them properly. I certainly did not object, so the boxes were corded in a systematic web of knots meshes which would not have given y in a journey across all Asia. They watched Dusty prepare meal for me, and at the next mex! three of them appeared unostentaviously and took a hand with the dough, handling it with such finesse that Dusty after a few covert gland ces at them and a few futile attempts to keep pace with them, confined himself to feeding the fire and even in this task he did not po without a few caustic comments upon his ignorance. By
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