Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 2 (1876).djvu/135

Rh r at the beginning of words when joined to one or more vowels is almost inaudible: rgáamu (wife), rmúkha-a (cloud).

The dress of the Tangutans is of cloth or sheepskins, suitable to the climate, which is very damp in summer and cold in winter. The summer costume worn by men and women consists of a grey cloth coat, or long tunic, reaching down to the knees, Chinese or home-made boots, and a low-crowned broad-brimmed felt hat. Shirts and trowsers are never worn, and in winter the sheepskin cloak is put on next to the skin; the upper part of the legs is usually bare. The richer persons wear robes made of Chinese daba (cotton cloth), but this is considered a luxury; the lamas have the usual red or, more rarely, yellow dresses. Their clothes are far inferior in texture to those of the Mongols, and the silken robe, so frequently seen among the Khalkas, is quite the exception here. But whatever the garment or the season of the year, the Tangutan always lets the right sleeve hang down empty, leaving the arm and part of the breast on that side exposed; a habit maintained even on a journey, weather permitting.

The smartest among them trim their coats with fur of the Tibetan panther, and wear a large silver earring set with a sapphire in the left ear; a tinder-box and knife stuck into the belt behind, and a tobacco-pouch and pipe on the left side, are worn by all. The inhabitants of Koko-nor and Tsaidam carry long Tibetan swords, made of very inferior