Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 2 (1876).djvu/92

72 The latter is the universal food of all Tangutans and Mongols in Kan-su and Koko-nor. It is prepared in the simplest way: the grain is first roasted over the fire, then pounded in a mortar, and the meal thus prepared is boiled in tea and eaten instead of bread.



In addition to the lamas, a force of 1,000 militia (Mongols, Chinese, Tangutans, and Taldi), were assembled for the defence of Chobsen against the Dungans, whose territory was only ten miles off, and who were continually harassing the neighbourhood,