Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 1 (1876).djvu/220

 briskly, although it took up a good deal of our interpreter's time; besides which those experienced in commercial affairs at once perceived that a retail trade was not the real object of our journey, as under the most favourable circumstances it would not defray the cost of our pack-animals; and lastly, we could not rid ourselves of the constant visitors who, under the pretence of coming to buy, invaded our privacy and interfered with our scientific labours. Taking all this into consideration, I resolved one fine day to put an end to my profession of merchant. The goods were all packed up, the buyers driven away, and the shop closed. I announced that I was an official (noyon), travelling without any special object except that of seeing new countries. The natives certainly put very little faith in this explanation, but we told them that it was no business of theirs, that their Emperor knew all about it, and had given us a passport to enable us to travel without let or hindrance in his country. We now felt much more at our ease, there was no longer any necessity for prevarication, and everything was straightforward. Henceforward all superfluous visitors were summarily ejected, and only those admitted who might be of use. Their visits always began with tea-drinking, and conversation followed; the principal topics, taking them in their proper order, were cattle, medicine, and religion.