Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 1 (1876).djvu/132

 our century. A man's age is computed by the lesser cycles; thus, if you are twenty-eight you are said to be in the year of the hare, i.e. two complete cycles of twelve years in each have elapsed since your birth, and you have entered the fourth year of your third cycle.

With regard to the language, I must confess that, with the multifarious occupations of the expedition, and in the absence of a good dragoman, we were unable to study it closely, or pay much attention to the different dialects. This was a serious omission, but it was chiefly caused by our want of funds; if we had been able to dispose of ample means, I could have hired a good interpreter thoroughly conversant with his business; but circumstanced as we were, ours could not spare a minute for days together for his proper duties; and his limited intelligence made him of very little use on occasions when tact and address were required.

The Mongolian language prevails throughout the country. It is rich in words, and has several forms and dialects, which, however, are not very distinct, except as between Northern and Southern Mongolia, where the difference is strongly marked. Words in use among Southern Mongols are perfectly