Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 2 (1876).djvu/87

69 by enormous cliffs, stands the temple of Chertinton.

The superior of the temple, a Gigen (i.e. living Buddha) is a very remarkable man. On learning of our arrival he invited us to his house to drink tea and make his acquaintance. We gave him a stereoscope, with which he was delighted, and we soon became good friends. Unfortunately he was a native Tangutan, and could not speak Mongol; our conversation was, therefore, carried on through the medium of two interpreters, the Buriat-Cossack and a Tangutan. Our host was an artist and made a sketch of our first meeting with him.

The valley of the Tatung-gol is so deeply cut into the mountains that the elevation of the temple is only 7,200 feet, the lowest spot we visited in the district, although to the eastward, i.e. towards the Hoang-ho, the valley of its tributary is of course lower.

The fords of this river are only practicable at low water, and even then are very difficult: a bridge has, therefore, been thrown across it, two miles above the temple; but the gates at either end are too narrow to allow of the passage of loaded camels. We had, therefore, to unload our beasts, and hire Chinese to carry our things across. Here we pitched our tent, and remained five days, in consequence of the illness of the Cossack Chebayeff. Our companions could not wait so long, and left us to continue their journey to the temple of Chobsen, only forty-seven miles distant. Our compulsory five days'