Chapter I: Preface

During 1916-1917 the First Asiatic Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History carried on zoölogical explorations along the frontiers of Tibet and Burma in the little known province of Yün-nan, China. The narrative of that expedition has already been given to the public in the first boot of this series "Camps and Trails in China." It was always the intention of the American Museum to continue the Asiatic investigations, and my presence in China on other work in 1918 gave the desired opportunity at the conclusion of the war.

Having made extensive collections along the southeastern edge of the great central Asian plateau, it was especially desirable to obtain a representation of the fauna from the northeastern part in preparation for the great expedition which, I am glad to say, is now in course of preparation, and which will conduct work in various other branches of science. Consequently, my wife and I spent one of the most delightful years of our lives in Mongolia and North China on the Second Asiatic Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History.

The present book is the narrative of our work and travels. As in "Camps and Trails" I have written it entirely from the sportsman's standpoint and have purposely avoided scientific details which would prove uninteresting or wearisome to the general public. Full reports of the expedition's results will appear in due course in the Museum's scientific publications and to them I would refer those readers who wish further details of the Mongolian fauna.

Asia is the most fascinating hunting ground in all the world, not because of the _quantity_ of game to be found there but because of its _quality_, and scientific importance. Central Asia was the point of origin and distribution for many mammals which inhabit other parts of the earth to-day and the habits and relationships of some of its big game animals are almost unknown. Because of unceasing native persecution, lack of protection, the continued destruction of forests and the ever increasing facilities for transportation to the remote districts of the interior, many of China's most interesting and important forms of wild life are doomed to extermination in the very near future.

Fortunately world museums are awakening to the necessity of obtaining representative series of Asiatic mammals before it is too late, and to the broad vision of the President and Board of Trustees of the American Museum of Natural History my wife and I owe the exceptional opportunities which have been given us to carry on zoölogical explorations in Asia.

We are especially grateful to President Henry Fairfield Osborn, who is ready, always, to support enthusiastically any plans which tend to increase knowledge of China or to strengthen cordial relations between the United States and the Chinese Republic.

Director F. A. Lucas and Assistant Secretary George H. Sherwood have never failed in their attention to the needs of our expeditions when in the field and to them I extend our best thanks.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Bernheimer, who have contributed to every expedition in which I have taken part, generously rendered financial aid for the Mongolian work.

My wife, who is ever my best assistant in the field, was responsible for all the photographic work of the expedition and I have drawn much upon her daily "Journals" in the preparation of this book.

I wish to acknowledge the kindness of the Editors of _Harper's Magazine_, _Natural History_, _Asia Magazine_ and the _Trans-Pacific Magazine_ in whose publications parts of this book have already appeared.

We are indebted to a host of friends who gave assistance to the expedition and to us personally in the field:

The Wai Chiao Pu (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) freely granted permits for the expedition to travel throughout China and extended other courtesies for which I wish to express appreciation on behalf of the President and Board of Trustees of the American Museum of Natural History.

In Peking, His Excellency Paul S. Reinsch, formerly American Minister to China, Dr. C. D. Tenney, Mr. Willys Peck, Mr. Ernest B. Price and other members of the Legation staff obtained import permits and attended to many details connected with the Chinese Government.

Mr. A. M. Guptil acted as our Peking representative while we were in the field and assumed much annoying detail in forwarding and receiving shipments of supplies and equipment. Other gentlemen in Peking who rendered us courtesies in various ways are Commanders I. V. Gillis and C. T. Hutchins, Dr. George D. Wilder, Dr. J. G. Anderson and Messrs. H. C. Faxon, E. G. Smith, C. R. Bennett, M. E. Weatherall and J. Kenrick.

In Kalgan, Mr. Charles L. Coltman arranged for the transportation of the expedition to Mongolia and not only gratuitously acted as our agent but was always ready to devote his own time and the use of his motor cars to further the work of the party.

In Urga, Mr. F. A. Larsen of Anderson, Meyer & Company, was of invaluable assistance in obtaining horses, carts and other equipment for the expedition as well as in giving us the benefit of his long and unique experience in Mongolia.

Mr. E. V. Olufsen of Anderson, Meyer & Company, put himself, his house, and his servants at our disposal whenever we were in Urga and aided us in innumerable ways.

Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Mamen often entertained us in their home. Mr. and Mrs. E. L. MacCallie, who accompanied us on one trip across Mongolia and later resided temporarily in Urga, brought equipment for us across Mongolia and entertained us while we were preparing to return to Peking.

Monsieur A. Orlow, Russian Diplomatic Agent in Urga, obtained permits from the Mongolian Government for our work in the Urga region and gave us much valuable advice.

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

THE LONG TRAIL TO SAIN NOIN KHAN

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

MONGOLS AT HOME

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