Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 1 (1876).djvu/206

 of Mongols, and further on by Chinese, who are scattered all over the south-eastern border of Mongolia. These settlers buy or hire arable land from the Mongols, and their numbers increase year by year in proportion as the cultivated soil encroaches more and more on the ancient domain of the inhabitants of the steppe, — the Mongol, his herds, and the swift-footed antelope.

At the Chinese village of Siyinza, where the Roman Catholics have established a missionary station, we unexpectedly met one of the priests in charge, who gave us a warm reception, and by his invitation we accompanied him the following day to visit his colleagues residing at El-shi-siang-fu, twenty-seven miles to the south, who were equally courteous. In some conversation we had with them, they complained that Christianity made very slow progress among the Mongols, who are fanatical Buddhists; they told us that they were more successful with the Chinese, although even among the latter, proselytes were mainly attracted by material advantages. The corruption and immorality of the people exceeded all description. These missionaries had built a school to train Chinese lads to assist them in their work, maintaining them at their own cost, as they found this to be the only way of inducing the parents to entrust their children to them. They had recently established themselves here, and intended